NORTHERN IRELAND

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will introduce legislation to extend antisocial behaviour orders to Northern Ireland.

Des Browne: Different administrative and legal structures in Northern Ireland mean that it is not currently possible to extend the provisions in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 creating antisocial behaviour orders to Northern Ireland. In particular, the provisions rely on local authorities having responsibilities in the criminal justice field which they currently do not have in Northern Ireland.

Holy Cross Protest

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what type of complaints he has received from (a) Ardoyne road and (b) Glenbryn road residents relating to the Holy Cross protest.

Jane Kennedy: The Government have received a number of representations and written correspondence concerning the situation at Holy Cross Girls Primary School from Members of this House, Members of the devolved Administration and the general public. We continue to encourage local dialogue between the two communities. We have consistently called on the protesters to call off their protest, but in the meantime support the police in their operations to ensure the children of Holy Cross Primary can make their way to school. We welcome recent efforts by local politicians and community representatives to resolve the current impasse.

Community Groups (North Belfast)

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what Government grants have been allocated to local community groups in north Belfast; and for what purpose, since 1998.

John Reid: Responsibility for this subject has been devolved to the Northern Ireland institutions and is therefore no longer a matter for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Bill

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the impact of the incitement to religious hatred clause of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Bill on preaching against Roman Catholicism in Northern Ireland.

Des Browne: It has been an offence in Northern Ireland since 1987 (under the Public Order (Northern Ireland) Order 1987) to stir up hatred or arouse fear against a group of persons because of their religion. The proposed amendment to the Public Order Act 1986 will not, therefore, have any impact there.

Prisons

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which prison establishments in Northern Ireland do not use the Royal prefix.

Jane Kennedy: All Northern Ireland prison establishments can and are referred to officially both as HMP and by name only.
	The inclusion or exclusion of the Royal prefix is at the discretion of the governing governor of each establishment.

Police Service of Northern Ireland

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what colours will be used in the new uniform of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, excluding those used in the badge.

Jane Kennedy: The Report of the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland (the Patten report) recommended that the colour of the current police uniform should be retained (Recommendation 154). The Government have accepted this recommendation.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan following the ejection of the Taliban from key centres and of the opportunities this presents to increase the volume of food aid to the country; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: The advances made by the Northern Alliance in recent days should enable us to improve humanitarian programmes and give better access to some of the most vulnerable people in Afghanistan who have received the least help in recent weeks. Such progress is dependent on improved security.
	We hope that the UN and International Committee of the Red Cross will be able to improve delivery of food, healthcare, and other assistance to two million vulnerable people in the Northern Region of Afghanistan and that some of the internally displaced will be able to return home before the winter gets worse. Plans are now being made for the international staff of the UN, Red Cross and non-governmental organisations to return and thus improve services to vulnerable people. In addition, we will be able to accelerate deliveries to areas in central Afghanistan which will become harder to access in the coming months so that stockpiles can be built closer to the people who need them.

Afghanistan

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on her response to the proposals by the Mineseeker Foundation on a scheme to clear mines in Afghanistan.

Clare Short: My Department has not received any proposals from the Mineseeker Foundation for mine clearance in Afghanistan.

Uganda

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has received from the Ugandan Government about buying arms.

Clare Short: I have held meetings with President Musevini of Uganda on a number of occasions over the past two months. Our discussions covered a wide range of issues, including defence expenditure.

Women's Leadership Training

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money her Department has spent on women's leadership training in (a) newly democratic and (b) developing nations in the last five years.

Clare Short: The statistics requested cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost but my Department puts women's empowerment at the heart of its work.
	It starts with: girl's access to basic education and completion of primary schools; support for civil society organisations that represent the needs of and advocate for women in decision-making roles; education of the whole community about the rights of women and girls.
	Women's leadership training needs to be built on these foundations.

Women's Leadership Training

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proposals her Department has for funding leadership training for women in Afghanistan once stability has been restored.

Clare Short: It is the responsibility of the entire international community to ensure that the women of Afghanistan are fully involved in the new political settlement in Afghanistan.
	As reconstruction activities begin, the programmes that we support will be designed and monitored to ensure that women and girls benefit. Women are both often the poorest members of communities, and the best organisers. Participation of women in public life is therefore integral to our approach.

Ethiopia

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with EU Ministers about EU aid to Ethiopia; and if she will make a statement.

Clare Short: We play a full part in discussing EU aid to Ethiopia both at the Development Council and in meetings with the Commission. Officials from my Department visited Brussels earlier this week to discuss the new EU Country Strategy Paper for Ethiopia. Current EU assistance concentrates on food security, human development, roads and democratisation/institution building.

Illiteracy

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  if she will list her Department's aid contribution specifically aimed at reducing illiteracy in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and the projected contributions in (f) 2002, (g) 2003 and (h) 2004 (i) in total and (ii) as a proportion of gross national product;
	(2)  if she will list her Department's aid contributions that incorporate illiteracy reduction in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001 and the projected contributions in (f) 2002, (g) 2003 and (h) 2004 (i) in total and (ii) as a proportion of GNP.

Clare Short: Literacy statistics are notoriously misleading, particularly when they are disaggregated from the overall sector in which they are embedded. Figures cannot be provided in the form requested.
	DFID's major focus for tackling illiteracy is helping developing countries achieve the Millennium Development Goal of universal primary education for all by 2015. Increasing access to good quality primary education and ensuring that children are literate when they leave school is essential for development and poverty reduction. Since 1997 the Government have committed over £600 million to support sustainable education systems in developing countries able to provide high quality primary education for all children. We will do more. We will also give increasing attention to helping developing countries tackle adult illiteracy and poverty reduction. All this will require a broad-based, multi- sectoral approach, aimed at enhancing national capacity to plan and implement effective national poverty reduction programmes.

World Trade Rules

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the proposals put forward by non-governmental organisations in the development and environmental sectors to reform the world trade rules.

Clare Short: Prior to the 4th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), we undertook extensive consultation with non-governmental organisations (NGOs). We intend to continue this dialogue.

Hurricane Michelle

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department has offered to the Caribbean countries hit by Hurricane Michelle.

Clare Short: We have been following closely the impact of Hurricane Michelle. Following an appeal for international assistance from the Government of Honduras, we have approved three proposals from NGO's (Tearfund, Save the Children Fund and Care International UK) amounting to £372,010. The Government of Cuba have not made an official request for international assistance. However, a joint Government of Cuba and United Nations interagency assessment mission to the affected areas is expected to report their findings shortly. We await that report. In the meantime we stand ready to assess any appeals for assistance from international organisations or project proposals from NGOs for Cuba.

Doha Conference

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussion there was in Doha about the impact of the patent system on health systems in developing countries; and which proposals for reform she supported.

Clare Short: The Doha Ministerial discussed the relationship between the Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement (TRIPS) and public health; the freedom to determine the grounds upon which compulsory licences for patented drugs can be granted; the right to determine what constitutes a national emergency; the freedom to establish a regime for the exhaustion of intellectual property rights; and how countries with insufficient or no pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity can make effective use of the compulsory licensing provisions.
	I welcome and fully support the proposals in the Doha Ministerial Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health and the World Trade Organisation's (WTO's) effort to ensure the TRIPS Agreement can and should be interpreted and implemented in a manner supportive of public health. I also supported the move to allow Least Developed Countries until 2016 to implement TRIPS provisions with regard to pharmaceuticals.
	Furthermore, the Government are committed to working to help the TRIPS Council find a meaningful solution to help countries with insufficient or no manufacturing capacities in the pharmaceutical sector make effective use of compulsory licensing by the end of 2002, as agreed in the declaration.

Doha Conference

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the outcome of the WTO conference in Doha with respect to developing countries.

Clare Short: The Ministerial Declaration from the WTO meeting in Doha made strong commitments to the interests of developing countries. The Ministerial resulted in agreement on the need to reduce subsidies and barriers to trade in agriculture, manufacturing and services, which could potentially produce enormous benefits for developing countries. The agreement on TRIPS recognised the need for a flexible interpretation of TRIPS to enable developing countries to protect public health. The challenge now is to ensure that these commitments become a reality.

Generic Drugs

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to encourage increased access of developing countries to generic drugs.

Clare Short: Poor people need better access to medicines at affordable prices. We are committed to working with industry and the international community to bring this about.
	In many cases, increased access to generic drugs will be the most appropriate way to improve health outcomes. 90 per cent. of the drugs on the World Health Organisation's Essential Drug List are generics. Most tried and tested drugs for TB and malaria, for example, do not have patent protection and can be generically produced. We will continue to work for and encourage increased access to such medicines.
	In other cases, essential medicines are covered by patent protection. Such protection is necessary in order to create incentives for research and development into future treatments. We fully support the Doha Ministerial declaration on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and public health and the World Trade Organisation (WTO)'s efforts to ensure the TRIPS agreement can and should be interpreted and implemented in a manner supportive of WTO members' rights to protect public health.
	A key aim of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria—to which the UK has pledged US$200 million—will be to finance increased coverage of both patented and off-patent generic drugs and medicines.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Individual Learning Accounts

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the future of individual learning accounts.

Estelle Morris: On Friday 23 November the Department for Education and Skills called in police to investigate new allegations of fraud and theft involving individual learning accounts. Officers from the Department's Special Investigations Unit had discovered irregularities on Thursday after being contacted by an ILA provider. On Friday afternoon, the ILA programme was shut down immediately, two weeks earlier than the planned suspension from December 7, as set out in the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen), on 25 October 2001.
	I do recognise the impact this decision will have on learners and learning providers and I am taking steps to keep them informed about developments.

Individual Learning Accounts

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when her Department was first notified of possible fraud related to individual learning accounts.

John Healey: The first individual learning account provider to have been suspended because of complaints about alleged fraud was on 25 June 2001. The Department, on 11 June 2001, received the first letter in relation to this particular case. From July of this year the Department received an increasing number of similar complaints from individuals and local trading standards officers.

Pupil Exclusions

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils have been excluded by (a) constituency and (b) local education authority in each year since 1991.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 22 November 2001
	The available information on permanent exclusions by local education authority area has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	Information on permanent exclusions at Parliamentary Constituency level could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The latest permanent exclusions data were published in a Statistical Bulletin "Permanent Exclusions from Maintained Schools, England 1999/2000" on 16 November, copies of which are available from the Library, or alternatively can be accessed from the Department for Education and Skills statistical website www.dfes.gsi.gov.uk/ statistics

Departmental Staff

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will estimate the number of staff employed by her Department by region and nation of the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office on 15 October 2001, Official Report, columns 1009–12W.

Higher Education

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding was given to the higher education sector in each year since 1990 (a) in total and (b) per student; and what the forecasted yearly expenditure is for the next three years.

Margaret Hodge: The available data for England are shown in the following tables. Universities also receive public funding from the research grants, the national health service and other Government Departments.
	
		Publicly planned funding for higher education institutions in England -- £ million(1) (Cash)
		
			   Actual  
			   1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 
		
		
			 HE recurrent grant and contribution to fees £ million 3,679 3,976 4,291 4,559 4,696 
			 Other funding not included above  
			 Capital(1) 337 319 319 322 350 
			 Access funds and bursaries 23 23 24 27 28 
			 Grants, loans(2), student support (inc. admin)(3) 2,036 2,615 2,907 2,688 2,417 
			 Funding per FTE student(4) 5,300 5,060 4,900 4,830 4,750 
		
	
	
		£ million(1) (Cash) 
		
			   Estimated  
			   1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 HE recurrent grant and contribution to fees £ million 4,605 4,664 4,810 5,003 5,172 
			 Other funding not included above  
			 Capital(1) 243 0 0 0 150 
			 Access funds and bursaries 22 22 39 82 87 
			 Grants, loans(2), student support (inc. admin)(3) 2,382 2,395 2,344 1,762 1,614 
			 Funding per FTE student(4) 4,580 4,580 4,700 4,810 4,860 
		
	
	
		£ million(1) (Cash) 
		
			   Planned  
			   2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 HE recurrent grant and contribution to fees £ million 5,455 5,664 5,900 
			 Other funding not included above
			 Capital(1) 256 308 364 
			 Access funds and bursaries 96 97 101 
			 Grants, loans(2), student support (inc. admin)(3) 1,571 1,609 1,655 
			 Funding per FTE student(4) 5,020 5,140 5,290 
		
	
	(1) Unit funding is based on HEFCE/TTA recurrent grant and plus tuition fees, divided by the number of full time equivalent students. It excludes capital, funding for widening access and all student support.
	(2) This includes capital to 1997 which was included in the unit funding calculation, and earmarked capital from 1999–2000 which is excluded from the unit cost calculation. It includes funding via HEFCE for research infrastructure, but excludes the funding for research amounting to around over £1 billion from JIF/SRIF.
	(3) Resource costs of student loans including hardship loans.
	(4) Also includes British Academy and DFES HE Innovations Fund. Outturn figures drop after 1997–98 due to the change from the "old" grant based system of student support to the current loan based system.
	(5) Figures are rounded to nearest £10.

Higher Education

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how she defines higher education for the purposes of the Government's target for 18 to 30-year-olds experiencing higher education by the end of this decade.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 13 November 2001
	This is the first time any Government have set a long-term participation target in Higher Education, so we are currently examining the data to ensure we provide a proper and appropriate base from which to consider progress. We shall shortly announce the results.

Private Sector Sponsorship

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money was raised from private sector sponsorship for higher education in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000 and (e) 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Data on funding for higher education institutes can be found in the Higher Education Statistics Agency publication "Resources for higher education institutions", copies of which are in the Library of the House. Data for 2000 and 2001 are not yet available.

Learning and Skills Councils

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the total cost of administration in each of the local learning and skills councils in the current financial year.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 19 November 2001
	The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has been allocated £188 million for administration, of which £144 million has been allocated to local LSCs. The LSC has taken on a range of functions previously carried out by a number of bodies, including the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC), 72 Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs), the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE), Government Offices, and the National Advisory Council on Education and Training Targets (NACETT), as well as new work. For the latest year for which we have robust estimates available (1999–2000), our assessment is that the total spent on administration by the predecessor bodies, in relation to the relevant functions, was between £270 and £280 million.
	Allocations to each local LSC are detailed in the table.
	
		(£) 
		
			 Councils Administration budget 
		
		
			 East Midlands Region  
			 Derbyshire 2,364,907 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,857,567 
			 Lincolnshire and Rutland 1,960,869 
			 Leicestershire 2,687,889 
			 Northamptonshire 1,798,677 
			  11,669,909 
			 East of England Region  
			 Norfolk 2,289,251 
			 Cambridgeshire 2,374,829 
			 Suffolk 1,956,078 
			 Bedfordshire and Luton 2,002,038 
			 Hertfordshire 3,199,652 
			 Essex 3,818,435 
			  15,640,283 
			 London Region  
			 London North 3,197,616 
			 London West 4,144,284 
			 London Central 5,065,507 
			 London East 4,529,016 
			 London South 3,234,975 
			  20,171,398 
			 North East Region  
			 Northumberland 1,649,535 
			 Tyne and Wear 3,613,353 
			 County Durham 1,854,441 
			 Tees Valley 3,052,601 
			  10,169,930 
			 North West Region  
			 Cumbria 1,930,697 
			 Lancashire 3,473,852 
			 Greater Merseyside 4,292,626 
			 Greater Manchester 6,466,411 
			 Cheshire and Warrington 2,299,560 
			  18,463,146 
			 South East Region  
			 Milton Keynes/Ox/Bucks 3,497,027 
			 Berkshire 2,927,177 
			 Hampshire and Isle Wight 3,943,767 
			 Surrey 3,035,428 
			 Sussex 3,526,473 
			 Kent and Medway 3,734,717 
			  20,664,589 
			 South West Region  
			 Devon and Cornwall 3,968,523 
			 Somerset 1,878,668 
			 Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole 2,512,867 
			 West of England 3,284,672 
			 Wiltshire 2,156,514 
			 Gloucestershire 2,323,839 
			  16,125,083 
			 West Midlands  
			 Shropshire 1,586,601 
			 Staffordshire 2,923,306 
			 Black Country 3,032,076 
			 Birmingham and Solihull 3,724,565 
			 Herefordshire and Worcestershire 2,597,473 
			 Coventry and Warwickshire 2,857,520 
			  16,721,541 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside  
			 North Yorkshire 2,234,811 
			 West Yorkshire 5,405,563 
			 South Yorkshire 3,779,421 
			 Humberside 2,851,754 
			  14,271,549 
			   
			 Allocated to local councils 143,897,428 
			   
			 National Employers Contracting Service 763,685

Standards Fund

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list (a) the total budget for the Learning and Skills Council's Standards Fund, (b) the total number of funding streams within the Standards Fund and the budget for each; and, within each funding stream what is (i) the total number of projects supported to date within the following ranges (A) up to £25,000, (B) £25,000 to £50,000 (C) £50,000 to £100,000 and (D) over £100,000.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 21 November 2001
	The total budget for the Learning and Skills Council's Standards Fund this year is £160 million. The total number of funding streams, and the budget for each stream are shown in the table, along with the total number of projects supported to date within the ranges specified.
	
		
			  Indicative total  Projects supported to date  
			 Funding streams funding (£ million) Up to £25,000 £25,000 to £50,000 £50,000 to £100,000 Over £100,000 
		
		
			 Provider Improvement 51.4 487 107 56 8 
			 Professional Development 79.9 224 10 9 21 
			 College Governance 1.0 0 0 0 1 
			 Centres of Vocational Excellence 10.0 0 0 0 4 
			 Dissemination of Good Practice 10.1 9 7 9 13 
			 National Initiatives 7.6 118 27 25 0 
		
	
	From next year, there will be a single, unified Standards Fund for post-16 learning with no individual ring-fenced funding streams within it.

Pregnant Teenagers

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what specialist support is available to young women who are (a) pregnant, (b) have children and (c) have other caring responsibilities to enable them to continue their education (i) in England, (ii) in the Teeside region and (iii) in Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency.

Ivan Lewis: One of the main objectives of the Government's Teenage Pregnancy strategy, being implemented and co-ordinated by the Teenage Pregnancy Unit, is to increase the numbers of teenage parents participating in education, training or employment. Support includes:
	Sure Start Plus advisers providing personal support and advice to pregnant teenagers and teenage parents under 18. The Teeside pilot programme began in October 2001 and will run for three years in Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton on Tees and Hartlepool, with an annual grant of £200,000. It is one of 20 such pilot programmes that will be fully evaluated before national roll out is considered.
	Teenage Pregnancy Reintegration Officers, currently available in Middlesbrough and in April 2002, in Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees. They are funded through the Standards Fund Teenage Pregnancy Grant and will help young women back into school after giving birth.
	Furthermore, the Connexions Service being rolled out across England will give all 13 to 19-year-olds access to a Personal Adviser to help co-ordinate this specialist support. Where they exist, Sure Start Plus advisers will usually act as Connexions Personal Advisers to avoid duplication of effort.
	Details of whereabouts this support is/will be available across England are set out in the table.
	In addition, 193 Sure Start programmes are currently operating across England, of which eight are based in Teeside, providing valuable support to parents and their young children. By March 2004, 500 Sure Start programmes will be up and running. There are also some 17 projects across Teeside, many of which cross constituency boundaries, funded by the Single Regeneration Budget (in excess of £4 million) helping young women to continue in education. DfES is also funding a pilot childminding project in four areas of England (Blackpool, North East Lincolnshire, Greenwich and Barking and Dagenham), specifically aimed to get teenage parents back into education, training or work.
	The Government published the National Strategy for carers in 1999. An extra £325 million over five years is helping local authorities to provide a wide range of services to help carers, including young carers. Guidance was also issued to schools in supporting young carers. There are over 100 local projects operating across the country and links to these and support for young carers can be accessed through the Connexions Service, Learning Mentors and Education Welfare Officers.
	
		
			   Areas covered at present Future areas 
		
		
			 Sure Start Plus Pilots Teeside, Tyne and Wear, south east London, south Yorkshire coalfields, Manchester and Salford, Liverpool and St. Helens, east London, Bradford, Sheffield, Sandwell, Nottingham City, Kingston upon Hull, Wakefield, Walsall, Leicester, Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton, Plymouth, Rochdale None planned 
			
			 Teenage Pregnancy Reintegration Officers (coverage by LEA) Barking and Dagenham, Barnsley, Birmingham, Blackpool, Bradford, Camden, Coventry, Cumbria, Doncaster, Durham, east Sussex, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Hartlepool, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Hull, Knowsley, Lambeth, Lancashire, Leeds, Lewisham, Lincolnshire, Liverpool, Manchester, Middlesbrough, north east Lincolnshire, Newcastle upon Tyne, Newham, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Nottingham, Rotherham, Salford, Sandwell, Sheffield, South Tyneside, Southwark, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland, Telford and Wrekin, Tower Hamlets, Walsall, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Westminster To be reviewed 
			 Connexions (Partnership areas) Cornwall and Devon, Coventry and Warwickshire, Lincolnshire and Rutland, London north, London south, Cumbria, west of England, Black Country, Milton Keynes and Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, Shropshire and Telford and the Wrekin, Cheshire and Warrington, south Yorkshire, Humber, Suffolk, Merseyside 19 more areas submitting plans for April 2002 start, remaining 13 (including Tees Valley) by 2003.

Correspondence

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she will reply to the letter of 11 October on bullying from Reverend Alan Burgess of New Milton.

Ivan Lewis: A reply has been issued today.

Gender Stereotyping

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures she is taking to eliminate gender stereotyping throughout the curriculum; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We have repeatedly confirmed our commitment to ensuring that all pupils, regardless of their background or gender, have an equal opportunity to achieve. The national curriculum provides an entitlement to a broad and balanced education for all pupils. Since the last national curriculum review it contains, for the first time, a statutory inclusion statement which sets out the steps which teachers should take to overcome potential barriers to learning for boys or girls.
	The inclusion statement contains recommendations that teachers should create a climate where stereotypical views are challenged and pupils learn to view positively differences arising from race, gender, ability or disability. In order to respond to pupils' diverse learning needs teachers should ensure that boys and girls are able to take part in lessons fully and effectively. For example, they can take account of the interests and concerns of boys and girls by using a range of activities and contexts for work, allowing a variety of interpretations and outcomes and avoiding gender stereotyping in assigning pupils to activities or arranging access to equipment.

Substance Abuse (Education)

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance has been issued to schools on the best way of informing students of the problems of tobacco, drug and alcohol addictions; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 22 November 2001
	DfES guidance Circular number 4/95 sets out the statutory position on drug education in schools and was supplemented by the guidance "Protecting Young People" (1998) which gives detailed advice on how to deliver drug education effectively.
	To further support schools, in partnership with the Department of Health, the DfES commissioned DrugScope (formerly the Standing Conference On Drug Abuse) to produce three further guidance documents for schools, "The Right Approach", "The Right Response", and "The Right Choice".
	On 16 October we also announced details of a £1 million drug, alcohol and tobacco education training package for teachers that we will deliver as part of the drug strategy to achieve the target to halve the number of young people using illegal drugs by 2010. Guidance to support this package is available on the DfES website at www.dfes.gov.uk/lea/guidance/drugs alcohol tobacco.

Bullying

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures she is taking to tackle bullying in schools; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 22 November 2001
	From September 1999 head teachers of maintained schools have been placed under a duty to draw up measures to prevent all forms of bullying among pupils, including racist or homophobic bullying. Bullying is a serious problem for those who experience it and schools should take all complaints seriously.
	Last December we launched a new anti-bullying strategy, including a new pack for schools entitled "Bullying: don't suffer in silence" with an accompanying video aimed at pupils. Schools can order one free copy of the pack from DfES publications. There is also a new anti-bullying website at www.dfes.gov.uk/bullying. The Department is also co-funding the Parentline Plus free helpline for parents whose children are being bullied and we have produced a public information film to raise awareness of bullying. In addition Baroness Ashton has recently provided a short foreword to "Safe for All: a best practice guide to prevent homophobic bullying in secondary schools" published by Stonewall.
	We have made it clear that heads can permanently exclude pupils responsible for persistent or violent bullying. However, the key message of our strategy is that victims should be able to report bullying to someone they trust and not suffer in silence.

Bullying

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to review the implementation of anti-bullying policies.

Ivan Lewis: Anti-bullying policies became compulsory in schools in September 1999. Each school's policy should be reviewed by the head teacher on a regular basis in consultation with the rest of the school community. Whenever my officials investigate alleged bullying with a school they verify that the school has an anti-bullying policy and that this has been followed closely in the case in question.
	The Framework for Inspection for the Office for Standards in Education requires inspectors to obtain the views of pupils, parents and teachers on the incidence of bullying in a school and the school's response. This includes assessment of the anti-bullying policy. We meet Ofsted regularly and discipline issues are part of our continuing discussions with them.

Bullying

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the Government policy is on bullying in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

Ivan Lewis: All maintained schools in England, including primary and secondary schools, are required by law to have an anti-bullying policy. Schools should treat bullying seriously and take steps to combat it promptly and firmly whenever and wherever it occurs.
	In December 2000 we launched a new anti-bullying strategy, which includes a new pack for schools entitled 'Bullying: don't suffer in silence' with an accompanying video aimed at pupils. The pack describes strategies for use in primary and secondary schools and it can be ordered from DfES Publications on 0845 602 2260. The cost is £15 although schools can order one free copy each. We have encouraged as many schools as possible to order the pack; so far about 5,000 have done so. We also have a new anti-bullying website at: www.dfes.gov.uk/ bullying. The key message of our strategy is that pupils should report bullying to someone they trust and not suffer in silence.

Sure Start Birkenhead

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 16 November 2001, Official Report, column 927W, what the original allocation for 2000–01 was for Birkenhead.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 23 November 2001
	In the 2000–01 financial year, Sure Start Birkenhead was allocated £394,500 as revenue and £266,500 as capital.

South Tyneside

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of children in south Tyneside remained in education after the completion of their GCSEs in the last year for which figures are available.

Ivan Lewis: The percentage of 16-year-olds in full-time education in south Tyneside local education authority was 53 per cent. in 1998–99, the latest year for which figures are available. A further 7 per cent. entered part-time education.
	Participation rates by LEA for 16 and 17-year-olds are published in an annual statistical bulletin, "Participation in Education and Training by Young People Aged 16 and 17 in Each Local Area and Region, England".

Performance-related Pay

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the operation of performance-related pay for assistant head teachers, with particular reference to the subsidies granted by local education authorities in the current year.

Stephen Timms: Schools were able to appoint assistant heads posts from September 2000. Like other members of the leadership group, schools may award assistant heads additional pay points for sustained high performance. A new special grant will help schools meet the cost of performance points awarded to any teacher or leadership group member, including points awarded this school year. The grant will be worth £250 million over the next two financial years. This is in addition to continuing real terms increases in general school funding.

Performance-related Pay

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the differences in the operation of performance-related pay for (a) heads, (b) deputy heads, (c) assistant heads and (d) advanced skills teachers, with specific reference to the execution of the pay spine in each case.

Stephen Timms: Members of all four groups are paid on individual pay ranges set by governing bodies. These ranges are positioned on the leadership group pay spine in the case of head teachers, deputies and assistant heads; and on the Advanced Skills Teacher (AST) pay spine in the case of ASTs. In annual pay reviews, governing bodies may award a point on the relevant pay range to members of all four groups for sustained high quality of performance taking account of performance objectives.

University Staff

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, pursuant to her answer of 22 October 2001, Official Report, column 44W, on university staff, how many of the academic staff reported to have left (a) University of Oxford and (b) University of Sussex were re-engaged by their universities after 31 March (i) for the academic year until 30 September and (ii) for a longer period.

Margaret Hodge: This information is not available.

Student Finances

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what was the average 
	(1)  loan taken out by students over the lifetime of their higher education in the last three years;
	(2)  what the average gross repayment of student loans is over the lifetime of the loan, including interest costs.

Margaret Hodge: Information as requested is not collected centrally.
	Information on student loan accounts is held by the Student Loans Company, and relates to debt owed to the state or to the private sector following the two Government debt sales.
	The average debt of a borrower with a mortgage style student loan entering repayment at the start of financial years 1997–98, 1998–99 and 1999–2000, the latest year for which data are available, was £2,170, £2,840 and £3,210 respectively.
	The first cohort of students on a three-year course who entered higher education under the new student support arrangements is due to start repayment in April 2002. The average income contingent loan account for borrowers entering repayment in that year is estimated to be some £6,200. These borrowers include those who have completed three years of study from the 1998–99 academic year as well as those from later cohorts on shorter courses or who have left higher education early.
	Student loans are subsidised by the Government so that in real terms students repay exactly what they borrow. The real interest rate is 0 per cent. This means that in cash terms students are charged interest annually at the rate of inflation on the remaining balance of their loan.
	Information on private sector debt such as overdrafts and other commercial loans is not available centrally.

Tuition Fees

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money was raised from tuition fees in England and Wales in the last 12 months.

Margaret Hodge: The estimated income to higher education institutions in England and Wales from tuition fees governed by the student support regulations, the mandatory award regulations and for those post-graduate students funded by the research councils is shown in table 1 and table 2. The data is only produced on a financial year basis.
	
		Table 1: Estimated tuition fee income to English institutions -- £ million
		
			   Financial year  
			   2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Public contributions to fees 517.0 498.2 
			 Student contributions to fees(6) 302.5 350.1 
			  
			 Total 819.5 848.3 
		
	
	(6) The student contributions are net of an estimated 5 per cent. cost for collection and any default.
	
		Table 2: Estimated tuition fee income to Welsh institutions -- £ million
		
			   Financial year  
			   2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Public contributions to fees 34.6 33.5 
			 Student contributions to fees(7) 21.3 25.0 
			  
			 Total 55.9 58.5 
		
	
	(7) The student contributions are net of an estimated 5 per cent. cost for collection and any default.

University of Buckingham

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to visit the University of Buckingham.

Margaret Hodge: None.

School Place Shortages

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the shortage of school places (a) in England and (b) in east Devon.

Stephen Timms: My Department does not collect detailed information on the demand for school places. The Government believe that decisions concerning the supply of school places are best taken locally—by the main partners in the provision of education who have knowledge of local needs. Local education authorities have a duty to ensure that there are sufficient school places in their area. They must publish annually a School Organisation Plan setting out how they plan to deal with any surplus or deficit of places over a five year rolling period.
	Where an LEA can demonstrate overall growth in the need for school places it may apply to my Department for capital funding.

Teacher Shortages

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the shortage of teachers in (a) England and (b) east Devon.

Stephen Timms: The Department collects statistics on teacher vacancies annually. We do not collect data specifically for east Devon but in January this year the vacancy rate in Devon was 1.1 per cent. compared with a rate of 1.3 per cent. in England as a whole.

Sixth Forms

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on difference in performance at GCSE between state secondary schools (a) with and (b) without a sixth form in England and east Devon.

Ivan Lewis: The proportion of 15-year-olds achieving five or more GCSEs at A* to C in 2001 was:
	
		Percentage 
		
			  England East Devon 
		
		
			 (a) Schools with sixth forms 52.3 56.7 
			 (b) Schools without sixth forms 42.6 (8)— 
		
	
	(8) There are no schools without sixth forms in east Devon.

TRANSPORT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND THE REGIONS

Train Operating Companies (Insurance)

Howard Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many train operating companies are operating without interruption insurance; and if public funds would be used to fund a captive insurer.

David Jamieson: The majority of train operating companies currently have no business interruption insurance cover. The Strategic Rail Authority is discussing with the rail industry the option of setting up of a captive insurer. No decision has been made regarding funding.

Railtrack

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when his Department prepared the contingency plan relating to Railtrack.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's statement to the House of 5 November 2001, Official Report, columns 19–29.

Railtrack

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on what date he sought legal advice on the price at which it would be necessary to compensate shareholders if Railtrack were re-nationalised.

Stephen Byers: holding answer 16 November 2001
	Such details are exempt from disclosure under section 2 and 4 of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Railtrack

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he expects Railtrack administration to last no more than six months.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Transport to the right hon. Member for Wokingham (Mr. Redwood) on 22 November 2001, Official Report, column 389W.

Railtrack

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 16 November 2001, Official Report, column 898W, on Railtrack, what advice the agencies gave the Government about (a) what would be required and (b) the minimum time scale to secure an A/A2 rating.

David Jamieson: The definitions of particular credit ratings and the criteria required to achieve them are available from the individual credit rating agencies.

Railtrack

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 16 November 2001, Official Report, column 899W, on Railtrack, if he will place copies of the correspondence in the Library, as requested.

Stephen Byers: holding answer 22 November 2001
	There was no correspondence.

Railtrack

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the value on 5 October of Railtrack shares held by (a) local authorities as part of a general portfolio and (b) pension funds on behalf of local authority employees.

David Jamieson: My Department does not hold this information.

Railtrack

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when press officers in his Department were first briefed about the possibility that Railtrack would be put into administration.

Stephen Byers: holding answer 23 November 2001
	Details of internal discussions and advice are exempt from disclosure under section 2 of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Railtrack

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what advice he received prior to 5 October on the status of the financial facilities held by Railtrack with the banks following the making of the administration order.

Stephen Byers: holding answer 23 November 2001
	Such details are exempt from disclosure under section 2 of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Railtrack

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many and what proportion of Railtrack shares were owned by institutional investors (a) at privatisation and (b) on 1 October for each year following.

David Jamieson: The proportion of shares in Railtrack Group plc held by institutional investors at flotation on 20 May 1996 and for subsequent years—as detailed in the Annual Report and Accounts—is shown.
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 20 May 1996 42 
			 24 April 1997 66 
			 5 May 1998 70 
			 30 April 1999 77 
			 5 May 2000 82 
			 1 May 2001 83

Railtrack

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on how many days following privatisation Railtrack shares were worth (a) more and (b) less than their opening price; and what the highest and lowest values were of a single Railtrack share between privatisation and 1 October.

David Jamieson: The closing share price for Railtrack Group plc was above the flotation price of 308p on every day between its flotation on 20 May 1996 and 4 June 2001 and also on 8 June 2001. The share price reached a peak of 1768p on 23 November 1998.
	The closing share price for Railtrack Group plc was below the flotation price of 308p on the 5, 6, and 7 of June 2001 and on every day between 9 June 2001 and 1 October 2001. The lowest closing share price was 252p on 20 September 2001.

Highways Legislation

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to legislate for changes in highways legislation, following the judgment in Goodes v. East Sussex county council.

David Jamieson: We are continuing to consider the legal position on the winter service provided by Highway Authorities in the light of this judgment. In the meantime we strongly recommend highway authorities in England to implement winter service provisions on their roads in accordance with the Code of Practice for Maintenance "Delivering Best Practice in Highway Maintenance" published on Tuesday 10 July 2001.

Station (Wootten Bassett)

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what consideration he has given to a new station at Wootten Bassett; and if Railtrack's receivership will delay its development.

David Jamieson: The proposal for a new station at Wootten Bassett has been given initial consideration by the Strategic Rail Authority and is a matter for them to consider further upon receipt of further proposals. This would be unaffected by the High Court's decision to put Railtrack into administration.

Central Railway

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he will announce his decision on Central Railway's application for a hybrid Bill.

David Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him on 25 October 2001, Official Report, column 383W.

Renewco

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  if he will list correspondence between his Department and the SRA concerning Renewco (a) since 5 October and (b) between 1 April and 5 October;
	(2)  what representations his Department made to the Strategic Rail Authority concerning the timing of the payment of money to Railtrack as part of the Renewco agreement;
	(3)  if he will list the meetings between his Department and the Strategic Rail Authority at which Renewco was on the agenda (a) between 1 April and 5 October and (b) since 5 October.

David Jamieson: Details of commercially sensitive communications between Government agencies and their sponsor Departments are exempt from disclosure under section 2 of Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

Local Councillors

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many local councillors there are; and what their political affiliation is.

Alan Whitehead: This information is not held centrally.

Leylandii

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many letters he has received in 2001 concerning leylandii from residents of the Buckingham constituency.

Sally Keeble: The information is not recorded in the format requested, but my Department has received a total of over 400 letters and e-mails about leylandii since 1 January.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on progress towards the public service agreement target for increasing public participation and confidence in the democratic process.

Alan Whitehead: The Home Office published the following PSA target in 1998.
	"Modernise the constitution and increase public participation in the democratic process"
	I understand that this target related to the publication of the Representation of the People Bill and was met by its enactment in March 2000. There have been no subsequent PSA targets in similar terms.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on progress towards the public service agreement target for improving fire service efficiency.

Alan Whitehead: Fire authorities in England and Wales, including single purpose authorities, are subject to the duty to secure continuous improvement in efficiency under best value. This is underpinned by a process of target-setting against key national performance indicators, such as the incidence of accidental fire-related death and injury in the home. For certain functions where collaboration is considered to offer the most potential scope for improved efficiency, fire authorities have been required to conduct best value reviews to a common timetable.

Regulatory Impact Assessment Costs

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the gross costs were of the regulatory impact assessment for (a) the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) Regulations 2001, (b) the Merchant Shipping (Mandatory Surveys for Ro-Ro Ferry and High Speed Passenger Craft) Regulations 2001, (c) the Goods Vehicle (Authorisation of International Journeys) (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2001 and (d) the Road Vehicle (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001.

David Jamieson: These costs are shown in the published regulatory impact assessments which are in the House Libraries.

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the (a) programmes and (b) funding streams to which the Index of Multiple Deprivation applies (i) wholly and (ii) in part; and if he will make a statement.

Sally Keeble: The following table sets out Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions programmes and funding streams to which the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD 2000) applies, either wholly or in part.
	
		£ million 
		
			 Programme 2001–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Neighbourhood Renewal Fund 200 300 400 
			 Neighbourhood Management  (9)45  
			 Land and Property Programme — (10)370 — 
		
	
	(9) Funding for this programme runs from 1999 through to 2003.
	(10) Along with the Single Regeneration Budget, this programme will be subsumed into 'single pot' for Regional Development Agencies from April 2002. The Department for Trade and Industry will have effective responsibility for all grant in aid to RDAs from November 2001.
	'The Neighbourhood Renewal Fund' is distributed to authorities which figure in the 50 most deprived authorities against the six individual district level measures in the Indices of Deprivation 2000. This produces a list of 81 authorities, to which were added seven authorities that were not included in this list but were included among the 50 most deprived areas on any of the four measures under the Index of Local Deprivation 1998. The allocations are based on a standard amount per head of population living in the 10 per cent. most deprived wards nationally.
	'The Neighbourhood Management Pathfinder Programme' is targeted on areas selected from among authorities which include more than one ward in the worst 10 per cent. as measured by the Indices of Deprivation 2000, but excluding any local authority where there is a New Deal for Communities Partnership.
	'The Land and Property Programme' includes an element of the Indices of Deprivation 2000 for the period 2001–02 only. 80 per cent. of the budget was allocated on a criteria basis involving the use of seven indicators, one of which was based on the Indices of Deprivation 2000—a 'deprived wards' indicator which captured the number of people living in the most deprived local authority districts. The indices element therefore represents only a small aspect of the allocation methodology. The Index of Deprivation 2000 will not be used in future years due to the commitment of the new single pot for Regional Development Agencies from April 2002.
	'Allocation of Housing Capital Resources' to local authorities (Generalised Needs Index and Registered Social Landlords (Housing Needs Index)) is based on needs indices that include an element of targeting of resources to deprived areas. The targeting for 2002–03 will be based on the ID 2000; targeting had previously been based on the largely 1991 Census-based Index of Local Conditions.
	The way in which the indices are constructed and used means that the targeting does not allocate a specific amount of the available resources. The targeting currently accounts for 30 per cent. of the Generalised Needs Index and 15 per cent. within the Housing Needs Index (before adjustment for regional cost variations. For this reason we have not included these programmes in the table.

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to review the methodology underpinning the Index of Multiple Deprivation with specific reference to (a) incorporation of a crime domain, (b) incorporation of a physical environment domain and (c) the impact of the access domain; and if he will make a statement.

Sally Keeble: At the time of the publication of the Indices of Deprivation, in July 2000, we acknowledged that they should be revised when further substantial small area data streams become available and could be incorporated into the indices. My Department is intending to commission a project shortly to explore what new data have come on stream since the review that led to the Indices of Deprivation 2000. This will pay particular attention to the development of measures on crime and the physical environment.

Bus Passengers (Nottingham)

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he has had with Nottingham City Transport on bus passenger numbers following the reorganisation of their bus services; and if he will make a statement.

Sally Keeble: I have had no discussions with Nottingham City Transport about bus passenger numbers since reorganisation of their bus services on 30 September. However, I would expect the city council to continue to monitor the use of public transport in the city as part of the annual reporting process for the Greater Nottingham local transport plan.

Mobile Phone Masts

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to revise the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995, Schedule 2, Part 24 so far as the citing of mobile phone masts is concerned.

Sally Keeble: On 22 August this year we introduced changes that significantly improved the planning procedures and guidance for telecommunications mast development. The changes, which included, amendments to the 1995 Order:
	strengthened public consultation requirements on mast proposals of 15 metres and below so that they are the same as for planning applications;
	increased the time for an authority to deal with prior approval applications to 56 days;
	underlined that school governors must be consulted on all proposals for new masts on or near a school or college; and
	increased fees to enable authorities to carry out full public consultation.
	We have no plans to amend further the planning arrangements for telecommunications development.

Speed Cameras

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the average reduction in road speed as a result of the introduction of speed cameras.

David Jamieson: Monitoring of the eight pilot areas has shown that, on average, speed at the camera sites has reduced on average by 5.6mph. On average the percentage of drivers exceeding the speed limit at pilot camera sites reduced from 55 per cent. to 16 per cent.

Speed Cameras

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of how many police constabularies are in favour of the use of speed cameras.

David Jamieson: All police forces in the United Kingdom use technology to enforce speed limits. To date, 15 police force areas have been accepted into the new netting-off scheme and a number are preparing their case to join next year. It is envisaged that the scheme will be extended to all areas within two years. ACPO strongly support the netting-off scheme.

Speed Cameras

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what assessment he has made of the reduction in (a) fatalities and (b) serious accidents as a result of the introduction of speed cameras.

David Jamieson: The first year report of the netting-off scheme shows that, on average, at camera sites, the number of people killed and seriously injured fell by 47 per cent. compared to the average of the previous three years.

Speed Cameras

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many requests he has received for additional funding for speed cameras since January.

David Jamieson: Eight further bids have been received to join the netting-off scheme. Of these, seven have been approved.

Speed Cameras

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many speed cameras there are in the United Kingdom.

David Jamieson: The numbers of speed cameras in police force areas are not held centrally.

Traffic Calming Measures

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what was the cost of damage to emergency vehicles sustained from cushion-style road humps in the last year for which figures are available.

David Jamieson: This information is not held centrally.

Traffic Calming Measures

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many 20 miles per hour zones have been adopted in England.

David Jamieson: This information is not held centrally.

Traffic Calming Measures

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what guidance his Department gives on the (a) height, (b) length and (c) width of cushion-style road humps.

David Jamieson: The Highways (Road Humps) Regulations 1999 states that a road hump should be between 25 and 100mm in height, with no vertical face higher than 6mm and have a minimum width in the direction of traffic not be less than 900mm.
	The Department has issued a range of Traffic Advisory Leaflets to all local authorities in England and Wales giving guidance on the installation of road humps. Within the scope offered by the Regulations, it is for highway authorities to decide the most appropriate design and dimension of road hump for each of their roads.

Traffic Calming Measures

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what advice he gives on the introduction of traffic calming measures on (a) trunk and (b) residential roads.

David Jamieson: Traffic calming has proved to be effective in reducing vehicle speeds and in reducing the number and severity of road accidents
	The Department provides highway authorities with guidance and advice on traffic calming, through our Traffic Advisory Leaflet series of publications. We are also preparing a Local Transport Note on the design and effectiveness of traffic calming measures.
	The Highways Agency has issued "Trunk Road Traffic Calming Advice" (IAN28/00) to their staff which gives guidance on the use of traffic calming measures on trunk roads. This document is currently being updated to include best practice. It is envisaged that the updated version of the advice will be incorporated into the Highways Agency "Design Manual for Roads and Bridges".

Train Accidents (Farm Animals)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many trains hit farm animals straying on to the track in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: The number of incidents where trains have struck animals are contained in the Chief Inspector of Railways' Annual Reports on Railway Safety, copies of which are in the House Library.

Airline Group (NATS)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what approaches he has received from the Airline Group concerning its ability, following 11 September, to invest the projected £50 million profits from its first year operations back into NATS.

David Jamieson: The Airline Group, in conjunction with NATS, is producing a business plan, for submission to Government by the end of November.

Fuel Prices

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what recent representations he has received regarding the price of petrol and diesel in England and Wales.

David Jamieson: This Department receives regular representations on the price of petrol and diesel from a range of bodies and individuals. The current higher price of diesel compared to petrol is the result of increased winter demand for heating oil, which is similar in composition to diesel, as compared to petrol for which demand is generally greater in summer. In Budget 2001 the duties on ultra low sulphur petrol and ultra low sulphur diesel, the two most commonly used road fuels, were reduced to 45.82 pence per litre.

Road Accidents

Julia Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many people have been (a) killed and (b) injured on the roads as a result of accidents involving (i) bus, (ii) coach and (iii) lorry drivers in each of the last three years to which the figures are available

David Jamieson: The following table shows the road casualty figures for accidents in Great Britain involving buses and coaches and for accidents involving a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) of over 3.5 tonnes gvw (maximum permissible gross vehicle weight). It is not possible to present separate figures for accidents involving buses and for accidents involving coaches. The figures include driver casualties in the specified vehicle type where these occurred.
	
		
			   Road users killed in accidents involving Road users injured in accidents involving  
			   a bus or coach an HGV a bus or coach an HGV 
		
		
			 1998 152 576 16,081 18,122 
			 1999 145 620 16,567 19,180 
			 2000 149 560 16,412 19,233

Road Accidents

Julia Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many road accidents have involved (a) coach, and (b) bus and (c) lorry drivers in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

David Jamieson: The following table shows the figures for road accidents in Great Britain involving buses and coaches and for accidents involving a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) of over 3.5 tonnes gvw (maximum permissible gross vehicle weight). The statistics relate only to accidents that resulted in personal injury. It is not possible to present separate figures for accidents involving buses and for accidents involving coaches.
	These statistics do not indicate whether the driver of the specified vehicle type was the injured party.
	
		
			Personal injury accidents involving  
			  a bus or coach an HGV 
		
		
			 1998 11,762 14,526 
			 1999 11,888 15,191 
			 2000 11,733 15,194

Passenger Vehicle Safety

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what the maximum permitted number of passengers is that can be carried on a scheduled (a) 48 seater and (b) 53 seater bus if all the passengers are aged under 14 years.

David Jamieson: Provided that the scheduled bus is not equipped with seat belts and has seats fitted in pairs, under the three for two rule, it would be possible to carry (a) in a 48 seat bus, 72 seated passengers under the age of fourteen plus any standees that are permitted and (b) in a 53 seater bus, 79 seated passengers under the age of fourteen plus any permissible standees. However, in practice it is likely that the vehicles will be fitted with more than one single seat so the totals in that case would be less.

Passenger Vehicle Safety

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the investigations by the Vehicles Inspectorate into breaches of regulations concerning (a) scheduled and (b) private bus and coach operators in (i) 2000 and (ii) 2001.

David Jamieson: The Vehicle Inspectorate's data identify the operators of public service vehicles (PSVs), but the records do not differentiate between the operators of scheduled, private bus and coach services. In 1999–2000 investigations carried out by the Vehicle Inspectorate into breaches of the traffic regulations by operators and drivers led to 623 cases being taken to court covering a total of 1,633 offences. In 2000–01 the number of cases was 578, which covered 1,753 offences.

Rural Bus Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to amend the Competition Act 1998 to facilitate arrangements between bus companies, with particular reference to rural areas.

Sally Keeble: Naturally, we wish to encourage joint ticketing schemes between operators, aimed at making life easier for bus users in rural areas and elsewhere. This is an important component in delivering the Government's integrated transport policy and achieving our target of increasing bus patronage by 10 per cent. over the period of the 10 year plan.
	Any proposal to amend existing competition legislation would be a matter for my right hon. friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. The Director General of Fair Trading has made a block exemption Order exempting, among other things, multi-operator ticketing schemes. I understand that the Director General of Fair Trading intends to consult shortly on a revised guideline on the terms of the block exemption.

Cranford Agreement

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to review the Cranford Agreement.

Stephen Byers: holding answer 23 November 2001
	We recognise there is a case for reviewing the Cranford Agreement. We will do this next year in conjunction with the review of daytime westerly preference announced in the Terminal Five decision letter.

Gatwick Station

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans exist for a special purpose vehicle to be created to undertake works in connection with Gatwick Station; and if he will place the plans in the Library.

Stephen Byers: holding answer 23 November 2001
	It is intended that a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will be formed to carry out works under the new South Central franchise, including track works at Gatwick station. Discussions on the appropriate structure for the SPV are being taken forward by the Strategic Rail Authority and GoVia.

Channel Tunnel Rail Link

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans exist for a special purpose vehicle to be created to undertake works in connection with the Channel Tunnel Rail Link; and if he will place the plans in the Library.

Stephen Byers: holding answer 23 November 2001
	Construction and financing of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link is being undertaken by London and Continental Railways who won a competition to do so in 1996. Those arrangements were restructured in 1998 and arrangements for the construction and finance of Section 2 were concluded in the summer of this year. Construction of Sections 1 and 2 is currently proceeding on time and on budget.

Deprivation (South-West)

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will publish in rank order the 100 most deprived wards in the Government Office South West region indicating their (a) local authority and (b) parliamentary constituency.

Sally Keeble: The information, based on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) from the Indices of Deprivation 2000, is shown in the table.
	
		100 most deprived wards in the Government office for the south west region
		
			  Local authority  Parliamentary constituency  Ward name Ranking on IMD 
		
		
			 Bristol, City of Bristol East Lawrence Hill 133 
			 Bristol, City of Bristol South Filwood 221 
			 Plymouth Plymouth Sutton St. Peter 249 
			 Penwith St. Ives Penzance East 336 
			 Bournemouth Bournemouth East Boscombe West 415 
			 Bournemouth Bournemouth West Wallisdown 441 
			 Exeter Exeter Wonford 458 
			 North Somerset Weston Super Mare Weston Super Mare South 466 
			 Torridge Torridge and West Devon Westward Ho! 509 
			 Gloucester Gloucester Barton 518 
			 Kerrier Falmouth and Camborne Illogan South 548 
			 North Somerset Weston Super Mare Weston Super Mare Ellenborough 618 
			 Bristol, City of Bristol North West Southmead 628 
			 Penwith St. Ives Penzance West 630 
			 Kerrier Falmouth and Camborne Camborne North 646 
			 North Devon North Devon Trinity 651 
			 Plymouth Plymouth Devonport Ham 660 
			 Plymouth Plymouth Devonport Budshead 678 
			 Swindon North Swindon Whitworth 682 
			 Kerrier Falmouth and Camborne Camborne West 683 
			 North Devon North Devon Ilfracombe Central 710 
			 Carrick Falmouth and Camborne Penwerris 717 
			 Gloucester Gloucester Westgate 718 
			 Bristol, City of Bristol East Knowle 733 
			 Bristol, City of Bristol West Ashley 756 
			 Kerrier Falmouth and Camborne Redruth North 773 
			 Weymouth and Portland South Dorset Melcombe Regis 782 
			 Taunton Deane Taunton Taunton Halcon 784 
			 Penwith St. Ives Hayle-Gwithian 790 
			 Swindon Swindon South Park 830 
			 Torbay Torbay Tormohun 848 
			 Bristol, City of Bristol South Whitchurch Park 921 
			 North Devon North Devon St. Mary's 922 
			 Bristol, City of Bristol South Bishopsworth 935 
			 Kerrier Falmouth and Camborne Camborne South 948 
			 Plymouth Plymouth Devonport Honicknowle 953 
			 Plymouth Plymouth Sutton Sutton 957 
			 Plymouth Plymouth Devonport St. Budeaux 963 
			 Penwith St. Ives Marazion 980 
			 Torbay Torbay Torwood 990 
			 North Devon North Devon Ilfracombe East 1,007 
			 Gloucester Gloucester Matson 1,033 
			 Bristol, City of Bristol South Hartcliffe 1,036 
			 Bristol, City of Bristol East Easton 1,043 
			 Taunton Deane Taunton Taunton Lyngford 1,069 
			 Bristol, City of Bristol East Lockleaze 1,095 
			 Penwith St. Ives St. Ives North 1,105 
			 Bath and NE Somerset Bath Twerton 1,111 
			 Torbay Totnes Blatchcombe 1,159 
			 Torbay Torbay Coverdale 1,169 
			 Bristol, City of Bristol North West Kingsweston 1,207 
			 Penwith St. Ives St. Just 1,226 
			 Plymouth Plymouth Devonport Keyham 1,229 
			 West Somerset Bridgwater Williton 1,239 
			 Penwith St. Ives Hayle-Gwinear 1,242 
			 Exeter Exeter Rougemont 1,264 
			 Bristol, City of Bristol South Windmill Hill 1,278 
			 Torridge Torridge and West Devon Appledore East 1,280 
			 Sedgemoor Bridgwater Hamp 1,301 
			 Penwith St. Ives St. Erth and St. Hilary 1,304 
			 North Cornwall North Cornwall Bodmin St. Mary's 1,310 
			 North Cornwall North Cornwall Penfound 1,332 
			 Sedgemoor Bridgwater Victoria 1,352 
			 Kerrier St. Ives Porthleven 1,353 
			 Cheltenham Cheltenham St. Mark's 1,369 
			 Plymouth Plymouth Sutton Efford 1,374 
			 Penwith St. Ives St. Ives South 1,375 
			 Bournemouth Bournemouth West East Cliff 1,402 
			 Gloucester Gloucester Eastgate 1,407 
			 Sedgemoor Wells Highbridge 1,413 
			 Penwith St. Ives Penzance South 1,421 
			 Bristol, City of Bristol North West Henbury 1,423 
			 Caradon South East Cornwall Maker 1,452 
			 North Cornwall North Cornwall Tintagel 1,461 
			 Mendip Wells Glastonbury St. Benedict's 1,463 
			 Restormel North Cornwall Gannel 1,478 
			 Teignbridge Teignbridge Teignmouth West 1,498 
			 Restormel Truro and St. Austell Treverbyn 1,518 
			 Bournemouth Bournemouth West Kinson 1,534 
			 Torbay Torbay Ellacombe 1,538 
			 Torbay Torbay St. Marychurch 1,555 
			 Penwith St. Ives Penzance Central 1,565 
			 Torbay Totnes St. Peters-with-St. Marys 1,568 
			 Christchurch Christchurch Grange 1,575 
			 Exeter Exeter Whipton 1,580 
			 Kerrier St. Ives Breage and Germoe 1,592 
			 Bristol, City of Bristol East Hillfields 1,596 
			 Restormel South East Cornwall St. Blaise 1,601 
			 West Somerset Bridgwater Watchet 1,617 
			 Weymouth and Portland South Dorset Westham East 1,625 
			 Plymouth Plymouth Sutton Stoke 1,632 
			 Cheltenham Cheltenham Hesters Way 1,646 
			 Teignbridge Teignbridge Teignmouth East 1,659 
			 Carrick Falmouth and Camborne Penryn 1,664 
			 Swindon South Swindon Central 1,667 
			 Penwith St. Ives Penzance North 1,668 
			 Restormel Truro and St. Austell St. Stephen-in-Brannel 1,691 
			 Torridge Torridge and West Devon Northam West 1,705 
			 Carrick Truro and St. Austell Chacewater 1,711 
			 North Cornwall North Cornwall Bodmin St. Petroc 1,717 
		
	
	Source:
	This information is based on the ward level Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) from the Indices of Deprivation 2000 which is the Government's current measure of multiple deprivation. The IMD brings together information from six supporting domains of deprivation: Income, Employment, Health Deprivation and Disability, Education Skills and Training, Housing and Geographical Access to Services.

Young Drivers

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many of those who passed the driving test in each of the past five years were under 21 years of age.

David Jamieson: In the last three years the following number of candidates under 21 years of age passed the practical car driving test:
	1998–99: 338,434
	1999–2000: 313,048
	2000–01: 301,227.
	Data on numbers of tests by age of candidates were not compiled before 1998.

Young Drivers

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what percentage of (a) deaths and (b) serious injuries in road traffic accidents occurred to passengers where they and the car driver are under 21 years of age, broken down by police authority area, in each of the last three years.

David Jamieson: The percentages of road accident casualties who were aged under 21 and a passenger in a car with a driver who was also under 21 are shown in the table. It should be noted that these percentages are based on small numbers of casualties, in particular, the numbers of this category of fatalities did not exceed 10 for any police force in any of the years for which figures are shown.
	
		
			   1998  1999  2000  
			   Killed Seriously injured Killed Seriously injured Killed Seriously injured 
		
		
			 Metropolitan police 2 2 2 1 3 2 
			 Cumbria 4 3 6 5 2 3 
			 Lancashire 5 3 6 4 2 3 
			 Merseyside 6 3 0 2 10 4 
			 Greater Manchester 1 3 8 3 4 3 
			 Cheshire 0 4 1 2 3 3 
			 Northumbria 6 2 1 2 0 2 
			 Durham 18 5 3 2 4 7 
			 North Yorkshire 1 3 4 4 1 3 
			 West Yorkshire 2 4 6 3 3 2 
			 South Yorkshire 5 5 6 3 0 2 
			 Humberside 3 3 4 3 4 3 
			 Cleveland 0 2 0 2 4 4 
			 West Midlands 2 3 4 2 4 3 
			 Staffordshire 4 4 2 3 6 4 
			 West Mercia 6 4 4 3 5 4 
			 Warwickshire 4 4 10 4 8 3 
			 Derbyshire 5 4 0 2 3 2 
			 Nottinghamshire 4 3 0 2 4 3 
			 Lincolnshire 0 4 6 4 1 3 
			 Leicestershire 8 5 3 3 3 4 
			 Northamptonshire 2 4 5 3 7 4 
			 Cambridgeshire 2 2 3 4 5 3 
			 Norfolk 3 3 0 4 8 2 
			 Suffolk 0 4 4 4 11 2 
			 Bedfordshire 17 6 0 1 0 3 
			 Hertfordshire 7 6 0 4 2 3 
			 Essex 4 4 4 3 3 3 
			 Thames Valley 3 4 3 2 5 3 
			 Hampshire 0 3 4 3 2 3 
			 Surrey 2 4 2 4 4 2 
			 Kent 1 4 4 3 3 3 
			 Sussex 2 3 5 3 3 3 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2 3 6 3 5 3 
			 Avon and Somerset 5 2 3 3 2 4 
			 Gloucestershire 4 4 4 4 0 4 
			 Wiltshire 7 3 2 2 0 5 
			 Dorset 0 2 6 3 5 3 
			 North Wales 5 5 2 4 3 6 
			 Gwent 3 1 33 6 4 8 
			 South Wales 5 3 2 6 0 5 
			 Dyfed-Powys 4 3 2 5 3 5 
			 Northern 2 8 3 4 2 3 
			 Grampian 10 7 3 6 4 4 
			 Tayside 0 7 0 2 0 2 
			 Fife 4 5 13 4 17 4 
			 Lothian and Borders 8 4 0 3 5 3 
			 Central 0 2 0 3 0 4 
			 Strathclyde 2 4 6 4 1 2 
			 Dumfries and Galloway 6 5 0 7 0 7 
			 Great Britain 4 3 4 3 4 3

Heavy Goods Vehicles

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many heavy goods vehicles have been inspected while driving on roads in the UK in the last 12 months.

David Jamieson: The tables show the total number of different types of inspections of heavy goods vehicles carried out at roadside spot checks by vehicle examiners and traffic examiners in the period from 1 November 2000 to 31 October 2001. The number of individual heavy goods vehicles checked is not readily available.
	
		
			 Roadworthiness Number of checks 
		
		
			 HGV motor vehicles 55,693 
			 Trailers 19,016 
			 Foreign vehicles 4,149 
			 Emission only checks 9,309 
			  
			 Total 88,167 
		
	
	
		
			 Traffic checks Number of checks 
		
		
			 Total number of checks 112,111 
			 of which:  
			 Vehicles weighed 48,404 
			 Hazchem checks 7,971 
			 Foreign vehicle checks 12,475

Housing Revenue Account

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement about rent restructuring and the housing revenue account subsidy allocation for 2002–03.

Sally Keeble: Following extensive consultations last year, we announced our plans to make the rents charged by councils and housing associations fairer and to improve tenants' choice in our housing policy statement "Quality and Choice: A Decent Home for All—The Way Forward for Housing" last December. Starting in April 2002, we will begin a series of gradual changes that will result in rents being linked to the value and size of a property and manual earnings in the area.
	Moving to a fairer system will have real benefits
	social rents will remain affordable and generally well below market levels;
	there will be no large rent increases: we have set a limit of RPI + 0.5 per cent. +£2 on the annual increase in any individual rent; and
	average rents will increase more slowly than in the past: in particular council rents will increase at only half the rate over the last 10 years.
	I can today announce a further safeguard. Concerns have been expressed about the effect of the rent restructuring formula on a small proportion of properties in high value areas—around 0.5 per cent. of the total social housing stock. To meet these concerns we have decided that the reforms should not lead to rents exceeding a maximum £100 a week in 2002–03 for any council or housing association home. Lower figures will apply for smaller properties. The maximum will rise by RPI + 1 per cent. a year. Some social housing rents are already above these levels and they will be frozen or reduced over time. Average council rents will remain around half the maximum figure.
	Housing associations are free to decide how quickly they move their rents to the levels required by rent restructuring although they should aim to complete the process as far as possible in the next 10 years. We have advised the Chairman of the Housing Corporation that, where housing associations do not need to put their rents up in order to remain financially sound, they should not be pressed to do so.
	I understand that the computer systems used by some local authorities limit their ability to apply different rent changes to different properties next April. I am advising those authorities that for 2002–03 they should apply the average percentage rent change suggested in our restructuring proposals for their stock to all of their rents except where this might involve breaches of the RPI + 0.5 per cent. + £2 limit, or the maximum rents announced today. The subsidy system will not penalise authorities for not implementing the reforms at an individual property level.
	We will consult further with local authorities and tenant groups about the movement from averaged rent increases to the rents which we expect to be charged for individual properties by the end of the 10-year transitional period.
	Progress on rent restructuring will be kept under constant review. We will monitor the impact closely each year and will conduct further research on this.
	The Government have already doubled the resources allocated to local authorities for investment in housing and are committed to increasing them further. In particular, we have committed ourselves to ensuring that all social housing meets the decent homes standard by 2010. This will involve eliminating the £19 billion council housing investment backlog we inherited.
	Accordingly, my Department is today issuing consultation drafts of the Housing Revenue Account subsidy and Item 8 determinations for 2002–03 which set out proposed subsidy allocations for individual authorities. These are being issued following consultation with authorities and others in which there was general support for the objectives of the proposed changes but concerns were expressed about aspects of the proposals.
	In response to these concerns I should like to make it clear that:
	There is no intention that the technical changes designed to bring the assumptions within the subsidy system back into line with actual costs and revenues should be used to either reduce or increase the aggregate level of resources available to councils nationally. Indeed, the starting assumption in the forthcoming Spending Review will be that these changes should be resource neutral overall.
	Some redistribution of resources between authorities is inevitable if we are to move to a fairer system for distributing resources. However, in view of the concerns expressed, we will review the formulae used in determining subsidy with local authorities to ensure that they reflect as accurately as possible the relative costs faced by different authorities. The HRA subsidy system for 2003–04 will be adjusted as necessary to reflect these consultations and the outcome of the Spending Review.
	The proposal to abolish "mitigation"—the mechanism used to ensure that councils with a higher proportion of tenants in receipt of housing benefit are not heavily penalised by the rent rebate subsidy system—will not be implemented at this stage. We will consult further on this and a decision on the future of mitigation will be taken in due course. All the other changes proposed for 2002–2003 will be implemented from 1 April 2002.
	Copies of the draft determinations and supporting material are being placed in the Library of the House, and will be available on my Department's website. These allocations are based on information available to us from authorities as at 29 October 2001, and may change as that information is refined. Authorities have until 17 December to comment on the draft determinations.

Council Tax

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will estimate (a) the number of council tax exempt properties on grounds of occupation by student households in each local authority with council tax setting powers and (b) the sums paid to those local authorities by way of compensation.

Alan Whitehead: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him on 31 October 2001, Official Report, column 675W. The additional amount of revenue support grant received by authorities to compensate them for properties exempted from the council tax because they consist of student households is equal to the amount of council tax forgone. We estimate therefore that the amount paid is about £90 million for England as a whole.

Rail Services (Huntingdon)

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many times the West Anglian Great Northern railway service between Huntingdon and King's Cross and King's Cross and Huntingdon has been late in each of the past six months, as a percentage of the total number of journeys; and what the reasons were for the delays.

David Jamieson: The information is not available in the form requested. The latest performance figures for the West Anglia Great Northern (WAGN) franchise as a whole are indicated in the table. Services are deemed to be late if they arrived at their destination beyond five minutes of timetable.
	
		
			 Period Percentage late 
		
		
			 1 April 2001 to 29 April 2001 21.1 
			 30 April 2001 to 27 May 2001 20.5 
			 28 May 2001 to 24 June 2001 20.3 
			 25 June 2001 to 22 July 2001 21.6 
			 23 July 2001 to 19 August 2001 22.8 
			 20 August 2001 to 16 September 2001 20.4 
			 17 September 2001 to 14 October 2001 23.1 
		
	
	WAGN are still subject to 30 Emergency Speed Restrictions. These, coupled with a shortage of drivers, are the principal reasons for disruption. To remedy the driver shortage, WAGN has twice the number of drivers in training for which it currently has vacancies.

Rail Services (Huntingdon)

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  what revision there has been of the timetable for planned track improvements between Huntingdon and King's Cross since January;
	(2)  what improvements are planned for the railway track between Huntingdon and King's Cross.

David Jamieson: Railtrack's 2001 Network Management Statement, published in May, identifies the projects on which the company is working as well as expected completion dates. The Administrator has taken over Railtrack's contractual commitments. For the future, the East Coast Main Line upgrade proposals will feature improvements in this area. Further announcements will be made in due course. Emergency Speed Restrictions still apply across much of West Anglia Great Northern's network, while Railtrack carry out tracks maintenance and renewal of track following the Hatfield derailment last year.

Rail Services (Huntingdon)

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  what improvements are planned to Huntingdon and St. Neots railway stations;
	(2)  what revision has been made to the timetable for planned improvements to Huntingdon and St. Neots railway stations.

David Jamieson: Both stations are included in the Strategic Rail Authority's Incremental Outputs Statements scheme (IOS), a programme to deliver modern facilities at stations. The specific items to be provided and the timetable will be dependent on the programme's site surveys which are currently on-going. I understand that WAGN are also considering the possibility of extending the car park at St. Neots and for a bus interchange at Huntingdon.

Rail Services (Huntingdon)

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many passengers travelled on the Huntingdon to King's Cross and King's Cross to Huntingdon services in each of the past 36 months.

David Jamieson: The information is not available in the form requested. Across all West Anglia Great Northern services an estimated 62.5 million passenger journeys were made in 2000–2001, 61.2 million in 1999–2000, and 55.7 million in 1998–1999. West Anglia Great Northern's Passengers In Excess of Capacity (PIXC) figures for each of the last three years were 2.3 per cent. in 2000, 1.8 per cent. in 1999 and 1.2 per cent. in 1998. Train operators are required to keep PIXC to 3 per cent. or below.

Rail Services (Huntingdon)

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what plans he has to introduce a high-speed rail link between Huntingdon and King's Cross.

David Jamieson: I am not aware of any plans for a high-speed link. The development of such plans would be a matter for the industry to pursue in response to demand for a high speed service.

Neighbourhood Renewal Oldham

Lorna Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when he will announce his decision on additional neighbourhood renewal fund resources for Oldham.

Sally Keeble: My officials have already explained to Oldham metropolitan borough council that there are no additional neighbourhood renewal fund allocations this year. We have written to the council offering discussions on how to address particular problems they are facing. Ideally these discussions should be informed by the Oldham Independent Review looking at issues raised by the disturbances in the summer, which is due to report in December.

Planning Application, Lymm

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions 
	(1)  what steps he intends to take to ensure that the guidance in PPG3 is complied with following the inspector's decision in the planning appeal concerning Oughtrington Lane, Lymm;
	(2)  what steps he intends to take to protect greenfield sites in areas where a council's committed land supply meets or exceeds regional planning guidance requirements;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on the implications for urban regeneration in the north-west of the recent decision concerning the planning application at Oughtrington Lane, Lymm;
	(4)  what steps he intends to take to protect greenfield sites in north Warrington following the recent appeal decision concerning the planning application for Oughtrington Lane, Lymm; and if he will make a statement.

Sally Keeble: Warrington borough council has challenged in the High Court the Inspector's decision in the planning appeal concerning Oughtrington Lane, Lymm. As the appeal is now the subject of a High Court challenge it would not be appropriate to comment further on the matter.
	Through Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 "Housing" (PPG3) this Government have introduced a series of tough new measures designed to meet the country's future housing needs in the most sustainable way possible. PPG3 includes a sequential approach which gives priority to re-using brownfield sites in urban areas in preference to developing greenfield sites and we have a national target that, by 2008, 60 per cent. of additional housing should be provided on previously developed land and through conversions of existing buildings.
	We expect local authorities to update their development plans to reflect PPG3 and to test all planning applications for housing development against the policies it contains. Local authorities are directed to consult the Secretary of State before giving planning permission for major housing developments on greenfield land allocated in their plans.

Glasgow Airport

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps are being taken to review the security and safety arrangements in Glasgow airport with regards to the building programme in progress following the events of 11 September.

David Jamieson: All construction work at an UK airport that has a security element must be registered, managed and approved by my Department prior to commencement. All significant projects are surveyed during construction and on completion to ensure compliance with the UK National Aviation Security Programme.

River Lune (Northern Bypass)

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what discussions he has had on modifications to the proposed Northern Bypass to include an additional bridge over the River Lune.

David Jamieson: Ministers have not conducted any such discussions. Lancashire county council are currently reviewing proposals regarding the M6 Heysham link.

Planning

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions in the last year for which figures are available how many planning applications (a) were decided by local authorities, (b) went to appeal and (c) were dealt with at a public inquiry.

Sally Keeble: In 2000–01, 420,000 applications for planning permission were decided in England. This resulted in 14,100 appeals against refusal or against conditions imposed in granting a permission, of which 1,400 were subsequently withdrawn. As of today's date 12,200 of the remaining appeals have been decided and 540 (4 per cent.) were decided by public inquiry.
	An applicant can also appeal if an authority has not decided the application within eight weeks of its being submitted, or a longer period if agreed by both parties in writing. In 2000–01, there were 1,600 appeals against non-determination of planning applications, of which 560 were withdrawn. Of the remaining appeals, 930 have been decided and 220 (24 per cent.) were decided by public local inquiry.

PRIME MINISTER

Afghanistan

Andrew Turner: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 6 November 2001, Official Report, column 197W, which British Muslim organisations have specifically expressed support for the coalition's military action against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Tony Blair: I have nothing further to add to my previous answer.

Islamic Society of Britain

Andrew Turner: To ask the Prime Minister when he last met representatives of the Islamic Society of Britain; and what plans he has to do so in future.

Tony Blair: I have had a number of meetings recently with representatives of the faith communities including representatives of the Muslim community. As with previous Administrations, it is not my practice to provide details of such meetings.

Islamic Society of Britain

Andrew Turner: To ask the Prime Minister if the Islamic Society of Britain has signified its support for the Coalition's military action against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Tony Blair: It would not be appropriate for me to comment on behalf of the Islamic Society of Britain.

Cabinet Secretary

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister what factors he will take into account when deciding who to appoint as Cabinet Secretary; whether the successful applicant will be drawn from the civil service; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: The Secretary of the Cabinet reaches retirement age in October 2002. I will make a statement on his succession when I am ready to do so.

House of Lords

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister whether individuals appointed by him to the House of Lords to act as Ministers following further reforms will be expected to serve a minimum time in that capacity in order to qualify for life membership of the Chamber.

Tony Blair: As the Government's White Paper on further reform of the House of Lords, "The House of Lords—Completing the Reform" (Cm 5291), makes clear, there will be no life membership of the second Chamber, other than as a transitional measure for existing life peers at the time that the reforms come into force.
	The Government are consulting on the length of the terms for appointed members, with the choice being between terms of five, 10 or 15 years.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Expenditure (Scotland)

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list, in real terms, for each year since 1979 (a) the total sums of money spent directly by her Department in Scotland and (b) the total sums of money allocated by her Department for spending in Scotland through (i) the Scottish Office, (ii) the Scotland Office and (iii) the Scottish Executive.

Richard Caborn: The information requested is not readily available. Public expenditure information by territory and function is available in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2001–02 (Cm 5101) for the years 1995–96 to 1999–2000, and earlier years are available in previous PESA publications. Copies of these publications are available in the Library of the House of Commons.

Local Bodies

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list those local bodies which were set up under legislation which is the responsibility of her Department and its predecessors since May 1997.

Richard Caborn: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not set up any local bodies under legislation since May 1997.

World Athletics Championships

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who made the decision to support the staging of the 2005 World Athletics Championships.

Tessa Jowell: The decision to bid for the 2005 World Athletics Championships was taken by UK Athletics with the support of the Government, Sport England and UK Sport.

Regional Arts Development

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what schemes and programmes are available to support and encourage the development of artists and musicians in the regions, with particular reference to the Teeside area.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 23 November 2001
	Funding for the Arts is a matter for the Arts Council of England and the Regional Arts Boards. As a result of last year's spending review, however, the Arts Council's grant-in-aid budget will increase by over £100 million, from £233 million in 2000–01 to £338 million in 2003–04. Northern Arts, which includes the Teesside area, will see its budget for supporting the arts increase by £1.4 million, or nearly 11 per cent., over the same period.

Regional Arts Development

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the support provided by her Department for the arts in the regions.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 23 November 2001
	My Department issues grant-in-aid to the Arts Council of England, the main funding body for the arts in England, which is in turn committed to delegating increasing amounts of that funding to the regions. Grant-in-aid to the Arts Council itself is worth £253 million this year, of which £107 million is going directly to the regions. Grant-in-aid is set to increase to £338 million, of which £143 million will go directly to the regions, by 2000–04.

Listed Places of Worship (Grant)

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  when she intends to announce details of the grant scheme for listed places of worship;
	(2)  if she has selected a preferred bidder to become operator of the grant scheme for listed places of worship.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 23 November 2001
	The Listed Places of Worship (LPW) Grant Scheme is an interim scheme which will return in grant aid the difference between 5 per cent. and the actual amount spent on VAT on eligible repairs and maintenance to listed places of worship. It is intended to bridge the two-year gap leading up to the 2003 review by the European Commission of the permitted reduced VAT rates in the sixth VAT Directive. Full details of the scheme operator, its criteria and application forms will be available in early December.

Television Licences

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many older people are in receipt of a free television licence in the Tynemouth constituency.

Richard Caborn: Everyone aged 75 or over is entitled to benefit from a free television licence. TV Licensing, which administers this concession for the BBC as Licensing Authority, is not able to provide geographical breakdowns of the number of free licences issued. However, estimates based on the 1991 Census indicate that there were approximately 7,000 people aged 75 or over in the Tynemouth constituency.

Lottery Funding

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the average lottery funding to date is for parliamentary constituencies in (a) England and (b) the United Kingdom.

Richard Caborn: According to my Department's National Lottery Awards database, which holds information supplied to us from the lottery distributors, the average lottery funding to date for parliamentary constituencies in England is £12.9 million and is £12.4 million for the United Kingdom.

Football

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many football matches she has attended since 7 June in her official capacity.

Tessa Jowell: I have attended no football matches in an official capacity. However, my right hon. Friend the Minister for Sport has attended four England international matches, but no domestic matches.

Giant's Causeway

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what responses she has made to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre regarding the Giant's Causeway.

Richard Caborn: The UK Government recently received a request from UNESCO's World Heritage Centre for a report on the current situation at the Giant's Causeway. My Department has lead responsibility for compliance with the World Heritage Convention and will be responding to that request as soon as possible, and certainly before the next meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Helsinki in December.
	As yet there is no tangible threat to the integrity or heritage value of the Giant's Causeway World Heritage Site. The competition devised by Moyle district council for the development of its land has not yet resulted in a firm planning proposal coming before the Department of the Environment, Northern Ireland. As and when such a proposal does materialise, it will be considered carefully in accordance with the requirements of the Northern Ireland planning system; the need to protect the integrity and setting of the site will obviously be a material and significant factor. My Department intends to keep UNESCO fully informed of developments.

Public Appointments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public appointments she has made and to what position in the last 12 months.

Tessa Jowell: In the last 12 months, my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Chris Smith) and I made 107 public appointments to public bodies as detailed. This does not include appointments to bodies sponsored by my Department where my role is to advise on appointments made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, or through him, by Her Majesty the Queen.
	Chair and one Member: Advisory Committee on Historic Wreck Sites
	Chair and four Members: Arts Council of England
	Chair and three Members: British Library
	Chair and one Commissioner: Broadcasting Standards Commission
	Three Commissioners: Commission for Architecture and Built Environment
	10 Members: The Community Fund
	Deputy Chair and four Commissioners: English Heritage
	Five Members: Film Council
	Chair and four Members: Football Licensing Authority
	Chair and one Member: Gaming Board of Great Britain
	One Trustee: Geffrye Museum
	Deputy Chair and three Members: Historic Royal Palaces
	One Trustee: Horniman Museum
	One Member: Horserace Betting Levy Appeals Tribunal for England and Wales
	Chair: Horserace Betting Levy Board
	Deputy Chair and three Members: Independent Television Commission
	Chair: Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester
	Six Trustees: National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside
	One Commissioner: National Lottery Commission
	Chair and nine Members: NESTA
	Chair and 10 Members: New Opportunities Fund
	One Member: Public Lending Right Advisory Committee
	Registrar: Public Lending Right Registrar
	Two Members: Radio Authority
	Two Members: Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art
	One Member: Royal Armouries
	Two Members: S4C
	Two Members: Sport England
	Chair and three Trustees: Theatres Trust
	One Member: TOTE
	Chair and four Members: Treasure Valuation Committee
	Chair: UK Sport
	Chair: Yorkshire and Humber Regional Cultural Consortium.

TREASURY

Railtrack

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Financial Services Authority is undertaking investigations into potential insider dealing regarding Railtrack shares in the period immediately before the suspension of shares in Railtrack; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Smith: Until midnight on 30 November, the Financial Services Authority has no power to investigate or prosecute insider dealing. Until then the primary responsibility for investigating and prosecuting insider dealing rests with the Department of Trade and Industry.

Private Finance Initiative

Chris Grayling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total current gross liabilities are of the public sector under PFI and PPP scheme, (a) set up since 1996–97 and (b) that are planned.

Andrew Smith: Table C18 of the 2001 Financial Statement and Budget Report shows the total estimated payments for services under all signed PFI contracts to be made by the public sector from 2000–01 to 2025–26, based on information provided by Departments. However, the collation of detailed information apportioning estimated payments by year of contract signature could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Compliance Costs

Edward Davey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what studies he has commissioned since April 2000 on the compliance costs imposed on businesses by the tax system; and when these studies will be published.

Dawn Primarolo: Studies have been commissioned into the compliance costs of VAT, Corporation Tax, Customs procedures for international trade, and excise gambling duties. Ministers will consider the results at the completion of each study.

Compliance Costs

Edward Davey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the administrative cost to British business of the UK tax system; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: It is precisely to address this question that we have asked the Inland Revenue and Customs to carry out a four year research programme into the compliance costs of the tax system.

Cigarette Imports

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 19 November 2001, Official Report, column 141W, on cigarette imports, on what basis the minimum indicative level of 800 was calculated.

Paul Boateng: The indicative levels for importations of excise goods for own use were agreed unanimously by the Finance Ministers of the EU member states at the ECOFIN meeting of 24 June 1991 and incorporated into Council Directive 92/12/EEC. 800 cigarettes were considered a reasonable indicator, with other factors laid down in Directive 92/12, to help distinguish between smuggling and legitimate imports for own use.

VAT (Sixth-form Colleges)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to re-assess the charging of value added tax on purchases made by sixth-form colleges; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Boateng: There are no such plans. The funding of sixth-form colleges takes into account the VAT they incur on their purchases.

Smuggling

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many vehicles were seized for illegally importing alcohol or tobacco in (a) 2000 and (b) 2001; and how many were destined for (i) the north-east and (ii) south Tyneside.

Paul Boateng: Customs' records of the number of vehicles seized do not disaggregate between either the nature of the offences or the destination of the vehicles involved in each case.
	For the number of vehicles seized by Customs I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington) on 30 October 2001, Official Report, column 625W.

VAT (Medical Equipment)

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his policy is regarding the recovery of VAT by (a) doctors' surgeries and (b) local patients' participation groups on the purchase of medical equipment.

Paul Boateng: Under longstanding agreements governing EC and UK VAT law VAT can only be recovered to the extent that it relates to taxable activities. Purchases of medical equipment by doctors for use in their surgeries, including through local patient participation groups, are not connected with the making of taxable supplies and cannot therefore be recovered.

Gambling Review

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact on tax revenue if recommendation 75 of the gambling review is initiated.

Paul Boateng: holding answer 23 November 2001
	As recommendation 75, if implemented, would not apply to pubs that already had more than two machines when the gambling review was published, the Government believe there would be a negligible effect upon tax revenues.

Gambling Review

Stephen Ladyman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made, following the publication of the Budd report into gambling, of the impact on Government revenue if (a) all the recommendations, (b) those concerning the National Lottery, (c) those concerning gaming machines in social clubs, (d) those concerning gaming machines in public houses and (e) those concerning small stake gaming machines and amusement-with-prize machines in seaside arcades will be accepted.

Ruth Kelly: It is not possible to give accurate estimates of the revenue effects of individual elements of the package.

Gambling Review

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the loss of income to the Treasury that would ensue if all local authorities used their powers under Recommendation 43 of the Gambling Review report to ban all types of gambling in their locality.

Ruth Kelly: The Government have made no such estimate.

Pensions

Tim Boswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he collates on the proportion of assets in funded public sector pension schemes represented by companies subject to regulation as utilities.

Andrew Smith: None.

Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the value of the tax relief given in respect of individual pension accounts in the current financial year.

Ruth Kelly: Claims for tax relief from pension providers for individual pension accounts are not recorded separately from those for personal and stakeholder pensions in general, the information from administrative sources is therefore not available.

Pensions

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  of the members of the post-1989 private occupational pension schemes, if he will estimate the numbers of members earning (a) up to £25,000 per annum, (b) £26,000 to £35,000, (c) £36,000 to £45,000, (d) £46,000 to £55,000 (e) £56,000 to £65,000, (f) £66,000 to £75,000, (g) £76,000 to £85,000 and (h) £86,000 to £95,000 in the last year for which he has data;
	(2)  if he will estimate the number of members in pre-1987 private sector occupational pension schemes earning (a) £10,000 to £20,000 per annum, (b) £21,000 to £30,000, (c) £31,000 to £40,000, (d) £41,000 to £50,000, (e) £51,000 to £60,000, (f) £61,000 to £70,000, (g) £71,000 to £80,000, (h) £81,000 to £90,000, (i) £91,000 to £100,000 and (j) £101,000 and above in the last year for which he has data;
	(3)  if he will estimate the number of members of a private occupational pensions scheme established on or after 14 March 1989, or who became members of a previously established scheme on or after 1 June 1989;
	(4)  if he will estimate the numbers contributing to AVC and FSAVC schemes earning up to £95,400 in 2001–02;
	(5)  if he will estimate the number of members who joined private sector occupational pension schemes before 14 March 1989 earning between, (a) £10,000 to £20,000 per annum, (b) £21,000 to £30,000, (c) £31,000 to £40,000, (d) £41,000 to £50,000, (e) £51,000 to £60,000, (f) £61,000 to £70,000, (g) £71,000 to £80,000 (h) £81,000 to £90,000, (i) £91,000 to £100,000 and (j) £101,000 and above in the last year for which he has data.

Ruth Kelly: Administrative data on these are not held centrally and estimates are therefore not available.

Climate Change Levy

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received in support of the climate change levy; and from whom.

Paul Boateng: Numerous representations were received during the development of the levy, and these are listed in Table A.3 of Lord Marshall's November 1998 Report "Economic Instruments and the business use of energy".
	More recently, the Government have received representations supporting the levy from a variety of environmental organisations and other interested parties.

National Insurance Numbers

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his answer of 12 November 2001, Official Report, column 538W, on national insurance numbers, if he will disaggregate the payroll errors found in the tax year 2000–01 by type.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 22 November 2001
	Following my answer of 12 November 2001, Official Report, column 538W, the breakdown of payroll discrepancies found in the tax year 2000–01 by type is as follows:
	
		
			 Type of discrepancy Number of discrepancies 
		
		
			 Personal details on payroll—resolved without amendment to national insurance record 420,937 
			 Personal details on national insurance record—resolved with amendment to national insurance record 281,559 
			 None of these has security/benefit fraud implications 31,010 
			 Incomplete/incorrect national insurance numbers on payroll 36,802 
			  
			 Total 770,308 
		
	
	Of the total figure, 22,777 cases were referred for potential fraud investigation. None of the 31,010 unresolved personal details cases were referred for investigation.

Leukaemia

Anthony Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases of leukaemia have occurred in (a) adults and (b) children over the last 10 years in (i) Plymouth and (ii) Devon; and how these figures compare to the average in England and Wales.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 23 November 2001
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Anthony Steen, dated 26 November 2001
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question on how many cases of Leukemia have occurred in (a) adults and (b) children over the last ten years in (i) Plymouth and (ii) Devon; and how these figures compare to the average in England and Wales. (17335)
	The numbers of registrations of newly diagnosed cases of leukaemia 1 in children and adults in Plymouth Unitary Authority, the whole of Devon, and England and Wales in 1989–1998 (the most recent 10 years for which figures are available) are given in the table below. The corresponding age standardised rates are shown to enable comparisons to be made between areas.
	
		
			  Plymouth UA Devon England and Wales 
		
		
			  Children (0–14) years 
			 Number of cases 24 76 4,206 
			 Rate(12) 5.0 4.2 4.2 
			 
			  Adults (15 years and over) 
			 Number of cases 314 1,358 49,642 
			 Rate(13) 12.7 11.0 9.7 
		
	
	(11) Leukaemia was identified in 1989–1994 by ICD9 codes 202.4 and 204–208; and in 1995 onwards by ICD10 codes C91-C95
	(12) Rates per 100,000 population. Directly age standardised using equal weights for the three age groups, 0–4, 5–9 and 10–14
	(13) Rate per 100,000 population. Directly age standardised using the European standard population truncated by removing the age group 0–14

Mortgages

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the ability of mortgage lenders to implement the new regulatory regime for the selling of mortgages by August 2002.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 23 November 2001
	The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is considering this as part of a wider review of the responses to the consultation on its draft mortgage sourcebook—published by the FSA as CP 98.

Mortgages

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations have been received on the proposal for mortgage lenders to monitor mortgage brokers' adherence to the new rules for regulating the selling of mortgages.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 23 November 2001
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford (Mr. Kidney) on 20 November 2001, Official Report, column 137W.

Mortgages

Andrew Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Services Authority regarding the implementation of the new regulatory regime for mortgages; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations he has received from the Council of Mortgage Lenders on (a) the inclusion of mortgage advice and mortgage intermediaries in the new regulatory regime and (b) on moving the date of N3 from August 2002 to 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: I hope to make an announcement about the timing of N3 and related matters shortly.

Mortgages

David Kidney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will modify his proposals for mortgage regulation by (a) limiting the circumstances in which pre-application disclosure will apply and (b) putting back N3 to February 2003.

Ruth Kelly: I hope to make an announcement on the timing of N3 and related matters shortly.

Insurance (Genetic Information)

David Stewart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance he issues on the use of individual genetic information by insurance companies.

Ruth Kelly: holding answer 23 November 2001
	The Government have established an advisory body, the Genetics and Insurance Committee (GAIC), to consider applications by the insurance industry on the use of specific genetic tests and to make recommendations on whether particular tests are appropriate for use by the insurance industry. Insurance companies have agreed to abide by the decisions of GAIC.
	The Government published their response to the Fifth Report from the Science and Technology Committee, on genetics and insurance, on 23 October 2001. The Government support the strengthened Association of British Insurers moratorium on the use of genetic test results by insurance companies, which commenced on 1 November 2001.

Foot and Mouth

Peter Duncan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance (a) has been and (b) will be given to regional offices of the collector of taxes as regards collection of (i) income tax and (ii) national insurance balances outstanding, as a result of foot and mouth disease.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 23 November 2001
	Comprehensive guidance has been given to regional and local offices throughout the FMD outbreak. The Revenue is currently working on further guidance with Customs, which will be issued shortly. It is impractical and premature to give details in advance.
	The Revenue's initial guidance outlined the need to be sympathetic, considerate and helpful to people and business adversely affected by FMD.
	They introduced a number of measures to help businesses during this very difficult time and continue to offer sympathetic support on a case by case basis to those that have been affected by the outbreak.

Departmental Promotions

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on information literature, advertising and campaign material in the financial years (a) 1995–96, (b) 1996–97, (c) 1997–98, (d) 1998–99, (e) 1999–2000 and (f) 2000–01; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

VAT Registrations

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the (a) stock and (b) net change to stock of businesses as measured by VAT registrations in each region and nation of the UK in each year since 1996, (i) in total and (ii) per capita of population.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Jim Cousins, dated 26 November 2001
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the stock and net change of businesses as measured by VAT registrations in each region and nation of the UK since 1996 (17725).
	The information requested is shown in the following two tables.
	
		Number of VAT-based enterprises in the UK by standard statistical region and year
		
			  Count Count Net change Count Net change Count Net change Count Net change Count Net change 
			  1996 1997 1996–97 1998 1997–98 1999 1998–99 2000 1999–2000 2001 2000–01 
		
		
			 North 56,375 56,080 -295 55,705 -375 56,215 510 56,395 180 56,175 -220 
			 North West 135,350 136,585 1,235 138,145 1,560 139,900 1,755 141,225 1,325 140,885 -340 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 114,060 113,940 -120 113,700 -240 114,670 970 115,325 655 115,010 -315 
			 East Midlands 105,780 105,830 50 107,515 1,685 108,310 795 109,700 1,390 110,420 720 
			 West Midlands 131,110 130,515 -595 131,470 955 133,000 1,530 134,695 1,695 134,585 -110 
			 East Anglia 62,620 62,465 -155 63,510 1,045 63,930 420 64,690 760 65,350 660 
			 South East 551,375 560,475 9,100 578,680 18,205 591,625 12,945 602,400 10,775 606,580 4,180 
			 South West 141,700 142,490 790 145,225 2,735 147,765 2,540 150,260 2,495 151,250 990 
			 Wales 73,505 72,990 -515 72,915 -75 72,240 -675 72,525 285 72,425 -100 
			 Scotland 114,455 114,365 -90 115,280 915 116,085 805 116,665 580 116,665 0 
			 Northern Ireland 51,315 51,440 125 51,795 355 51,965 170 52,955 990 53,675 720 
			  
			 Total 1,537,175 1,547,175 9,530 1,573,935 26,760 1,595,705 21,770 1,616,835 21,130 1,626,025 6,190 
		
	
	Source:
	National Statistics
	Inter Departmental Business Register
	
		Number of VAT-based enterprises per 1,000 people
		
			  1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 
		
		
			 North 18 18 18 18 18 18 
			 North West 21 21 22 22 22 22 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 23 23 23 23 23 23 
			 East Midlands 26 25 26 26 26 26 
			 West Midlands 25 25 25 25 25 25 
			 East Anglia 29 29 29 29 29 29 
			 South East 30 31 31 32 32 33 
			 South West 29 29 30 30 30 30 
			 Wales 25 25 25 25 25 25 
			 Scotland 22 22 23 23 23 23 
			 Northern Ireland 31 31 31 31 31 31 
			  
			 Total 26 26 27 27 27 27 
		
	
	Source:
	National Statistics
	Inter Departmental Business Register, Population estimates (1996–2000) and projections (2001)

Stamp Duty

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was of administering and collecting (a) stamp duty on shares, (b) stamp duty on property and (c) inheritance tax in the last financial year.

Ruth Kelly: Figures for collection costs per £ collected, for stamp duty and inheritance tax in 2000–01, will appear in the Board of Inland Revenue's next report.

Stamp Duty

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact of stamp duty on shares on the competitiveness of the UK financial services industry.

Ruth Kelly: There is no convincing evidence that stamp duty on shares harms the competitiveness of the UK financial services industry. Stamp duty applies to shares in UK companies wherever they are traded so there is no discrimination between London markets and foreign markets.

Stamp Duty

Hugo Swire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what additional revenue he raised in 2000–01 from property and land transactions in the East Devon constituency as a result of the increases in stamp duty in the March 2000 Budget.

Ruth Kelly: I regret that this information is not available.

Stamp Duty

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what additional revenue he raised in 2000–01 from property and land transactions in the Buckingham constituency as a result of the increases in stamp duty in the March 2000 Budget.

Ruth Kelly: This information is not available.

Economic Growth

Peter Bradley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the growth rate was of the (a) urban and (b) rural economy (i) in the last financial year, (ii) in the last five years and (iii) in the last 10 years;
	(2)  what the per capital GDP was in the last financial year for people in (a) inner city, (b) urban, (c) towns with population of less than 10,000 and (d) rural areas.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Peter Bradley, dated 26 November 2001
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your two recent questions on estimates of economic growth and GDP per head in rural and urban areas of the United Kingdom (17146/7).
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) does not currently produce estimates of GDP per head on an urban/rural basis. ONS is aware of the growing need for statistics and information to be available on rural and urban geographies. To this end, we are playing an active role on a cross government group being led by officials from the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, which is developing guidance on common definitions of rural and urban areas. These definitions will then form the basis of developing statistics for those geographies.
	ONS currently compiles and publishes estimates of GDP and GDP per capita by Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics (NUTS) areas. There are five levels of NUTS in the UK and GDP estimates are produced for the first three. NUTS level 3 is the geography that is most closely aligned to county councils, unitary authority and metropolitan areas and is also the lowest geographical level that data are available.
	ONS last published estimates of GDP at the NUTS level 3 in April 2001, providing annual (calendar year) estimates for 1993 to 1998. These data are available through the House of Commons library. ONS plans to publish estimates for 1999 in the first half of 2002.

Suicides

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the (a) total and (b) percentage of suicides in each year since 1988, broken down by (i) teenage men, (ii) teenage women, (iii) doctors, (iv) chemists, (v) farmers and (vi) clergymen.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Paul Flynn, dated 26 November 2001
	As National Statistician I have asked to reply to your question concerning the total number and percentage of suicides in each year since 1988 broken down by (a) teenage men, (b) teenage women, (c) doctors, (d) chemists (e) farmers, and (f) clergymen (16894).
	The data requested can be found in the table below:
	
		Mortality from suicide and undetermined injury (E950-E959, E980-E989 excluding E988.8) selected age, or by selected occupation, persons in England and Wales, calendar years 1988–2000
		
			  All suicides Teenaged men Teenaged women Doctors Chemists Farmers Clergymen  
			 Year No. No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % 
		
		
			 1988 5933 191 3.22 52 0.88 14 0.24 8 0.13 88 1.48 6 0.10 
			 1989 5316 160 3.01 57 1.07 19 0.36 3 0.06 71 1.34 6 0.11 
			 1990 5543 163 2.94 40 0.72 25 0.45 8 0.14 79 1.43 5 0.09 
			 1991 5479 157 2.87 49 0.89 26 0.47 3 0.05 77 1.41 2 0.04 
			 1992 5484 138 2.52 34 0.62 18 0.33 5 0.09 70 1.28 2 0.04 
			 1993 5250 127 2.42 32 0.61 18 0.34 3 0.06 78 1.49 5 0.10 
			 1994 5142 109 2,12 28 0.54 25 0.49 4 0.08 67 1.30 3 0.06 
			 1995 5157 97 1.88 46 0.89 13 0.25 6 0.12 57 1.11 4 0.08 
			 1996 4892 104 2.13 44 0.90 13 0.27 10 0.20 65 1.33 1 0.02 
			 1997 4981 137 2.75 39 0.78 16 0.32 2 0.04 59 1.18 2 0.04 
			 1998 5154 129 2.50 36 0.70 17 0.33 5 0.10 72 1.40 4 0.08 
			 1999 5188 125 2.41 43 0.83 17 0.33 2 0.04 67 1.29 2 0.04 
			 2000 4921 140 2.84 47 0.96 22 0.45 3 0.06 48 0.98 3 0.06

European Commission

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his policy towards European Community support for the (a) A Soul for Europe project and (b) Ecumenical Centre in Brussels.

Ruth Kelly: The managers of any project or centre can make a case to the European Commission for support from the EC budget. The European Commission implements the EC budget in accordance with the Treaty, EC legislative decisions, and the amounts agreed in the annual EC budget by the budgetary authority (Council and European Parliament).

European Commission

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the nature of the (a) United Kingdom and (b) European Community support for (i) Caritas Europe, (ii) the Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe, (iii) the Commission of the Bishops' Conference of the European Community, (iv) the Conference of European Justice and Peace Commissioners, (v) the Jesuit Refugees Service Europe and (vi) the Quaker Council for European Affairs.

Ruth Kelly: Any body or organisation can make a case to the European Commission for support from the EC budget. The European Commission implements the EC budget in accordance with the Treaty, EC legislative decisions, and the amounts agreed in the annual EC budget by the budgetary authority (Council and European Parliament).

European Commission

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what European Community funds have supported the organisation 200 Jeunes pour une citoyenneté Européenne de l'an 2000; and what is the UK share thereof.

Ruth Kelly: The UK contributes to the EC budget as a whole and not to individual programmes. For the 2000 EC budget the UK gross contribution after abatement was 15.09 per cent.

EU Economic Reform Proposals

Michael Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement listing the United Kingdom's progress in implementing each of the economic reform proposals agreed at the Lisbon Summit.

Ruth Kelly: The Government are committed to implementing the economic reform proposals agreed at the Lisbon Summit. We have made progress in numerous areas, including: an integrated and liberalised EU telecoms market; the e-Money Directive; research networks; the Small Firms Charter; the Multi-Annual Programme for Enterprise; and the legal framework for unbundling of the local shop. European economic reform will be the subject of a forthcoming White Paper, which will be published for the Spanish Presidency.

EU Fraud and Waste

Richard Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on combating fraud and waste in the EU's budget following the Court of Auditors report of 12 November.

Ruth Kelly: The Government's policies and actions taken to combat fraud and waste are set out in the latest White Paper on European Community Finances which was published in July. The Government are considering carefully the European Court of Auditor's (ECA) report and will send their detailed comments to the Commission by 20 December as part of the normal follow-up procedure, ensuring that both Houses receive an advance copy. Any amount of fraud or waste in the EC budget is unacceptable. That is why the Government are a strong supporter of Commission reform and why they advocated the creation of the new anti-fraud office, OLAF. It is important to note however, that the irregularities reported by the ECA are not all fraud and waste; the majority are small administrative errors which are corrected at a later date.

Census

Matthew Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of census forms have been returned.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Matthew Green, dated 26 November 2001
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent question about the percentage of census forms that have been returned (17570).
	Currently ONS estimates that the 2001 Census response rate will reach 98 per cent. of households.
	Postback response for England and Wales as a whole was estimated to be around 88 per cent. of forms. Estimates from field managers reports suggest a further 7 per cent. of forms were collected by the field staff in the follow-up exercise. Judging from our 1991 knowledge possibly 3 per cent. of forms are expected to relate to vacant properties or second residences.

Public Bodies

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list those local bodies which were set up under legislation which is the responsibility of his Department since May 1997.

Ruth Kelly: No local bodies have been set up under legislation that is the responsibility of HM Treasury.

Public Bodies

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will list those public bodies which are the responsibility of his Department and which are not listed in Public Bodies 2000;
	(2)  if he will list those public bodies to which his Department appoints members and which are not listed in Public Bodies 2000.

Ruth Kelly: Public Bodies 2000 sets out information on non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), certain public corporations (including nationalised industries) and NHS bodies. There are four types of NDPB: executive NDPBs; advisory NDPBs; tribunal NDPBs; and boards of visitors to penal establishments. The next edition will be published around the end of the year. Information about taskforces, annual reports and ad hoc advisory groups and reviews is set out in an annual report, published by the Cabinet Office.
	Copies of Public Bodies 2000 are in the Library of the House and this publication may be accessed via the Cabinet Office website http://www.official-documents.co.uk/ document/caboff/pb00/pb00.htm. Copies of the annual report on taskforces and similar bodies have also been placed in the Library of the House and the annual report is being made available on the Cabinet Office website.
	Ministers of the Chancellor's Departments and agencies make appointments to a number of bodies that are not public bodies so are not listed in "Public Bodies. These bodies, their status and the numbers of ministerial appointments are listed in the table:
	
		
			  Name of body  Status of body Number of ministerial appointments 
		
		
			 Building Societies Commission(14) Part of the Registry of Friendly Societies (Government body) 8 Commissioners 
			 Crown Estate Commission Crown Office 8 Commissioners 
			 Financial Services Authority Private Company limited by Guarantee 14 Appointments 
			 Friendly Societies Commission(14) Part of the Registry of Friendly Societies (Government body) 6 Appointments 
			 Public Works Loan Board Government body 16 Appointments 
		
	
	(14) These bodies will cease to exist in their current form on 30 November 2001 with the bringing into force of the FSMA.
	Treasury Ministers also make a total of nine non-executive appointments to the Management Boards of the Royal Mint, Office for National Statistics and National Savings, as well as 105 part-time lay appointments to VAT and Duties Tribunals.

Regulatory Impact Assessments

Angela Browning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the gross costs of the regulatory impact assessment for (a) The Insurance (Fee) Regulations 2001, (b) the Credit Unions (Increase in Limits on Periods by Persons Too Young to be Members of Periods for Repayments of Loans) Order 2001, (c) the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Promotion of Collective Investment Schemes) (Exemptions) Order 2001 and (d) the Open-Ended Investment Companies Regulations 2001.

Ruth Kelly: These costs are shown in the published Regulatory Impact Assessments copies of which can be found in the House Libraries.

Regulatory Impact Assessments

Angela Browning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the gross costs of the regulatory impact assessment for (a) the Value Tax (Conversions of Buildings) Order 2001, (b) Starting Up in Business, (c) the Replacement of Personal Pensions Transfer Regulations, (d) the Capital Allowance Bill, (e) the Abolition of Withholding Tax on Bond Interest and Extensions of Routine Information Powers on Savings Income, (f) the Authorised Mileage Rates and (g) Internet Filing of Tax Information.

Dawn Primarolo: These costs are shown in the Regulatory Impact Assessments for each of the measures which are in the House Libraries and published on departmental internets.

Working Families Tax Credit

Michael Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the total annual running cost to firms of administering the working families' tax credit he estimates is borne by firms with no working families' tax credit recipients.

Dawn Primarolo: None.

Higher Rate Taxpayers (Folkestone and Hythe)

Michael Howard: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many higher rate taxpayers there were in the constituency of Folkestone and Hythe for each year since April 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: There were 2,700 higher rate income taxpayers in the constituency of Folkestone and Hythe in the 1999–2000 tax year. This estimate is based on the Survey of Personal Incomes. I regret that estimates are not available for earlier years.

Higher Rate Taxpayers (Buckingham)

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many higher rate taxpayers there were in the Buckingham constituency in each year since April 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: There were 10,200 higher rate income taxpayers in the constituency of Buckingham in the 1999–2000 tax year. This estimate is based on the Survey of Personal Incomes. I regret that estimates are not available for earlier years.

Unemployment (Buckingham)

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people aged 18 to 24 were unemployed for more than six months in each year since May 1992 in the Buckingham constituency.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. John Bercow, dated 26 November 2001
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question on the number of people aged 18 to 24 years who were unemployed for more than six months for each year since May 1992 in the constituency of Buckingham. (17847)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics for unemployment from surveys following the internationally standard International Labour Organisation definition. However, for the Buckingham parliamentary constituency the survey sample size is too small to provide estimates. ONS also compiles statistics of claimants of unemployment-related benefits. The claimant count consists of all people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance or National Insurance credits at Employment Service local offices. They must declare that they are out of work, capable of, available for and actively seeking work during the week in which the claim is made.
	Prior to January 1996 comparable figures for earlier years are not available on the same geographical basis. Information on computerised claims by age and duration for parliamentary constituencies from January 1996 were based on the ward boundaries of the 1991 census while figures before are based on the ward boundaries of the 1981 census and are available from June 1985 to January 1996.
	The information requested is given in the attached table
	
		Claimant aged 18 to 24 claiming for six months or more in the Buckingham Parliamentary Constituency for each May 1992 to May 2001 (Computerised claims only)
		
			  18 to 24 
		
		
			 May 1992 187 
			 May 1993 217 
			 May 1994 140 
			 May 1995 113 
			 May 1996 79 
			 May 1997 38 
			 May 1998 24 
			 May 1999 11 
			 May 2000 5 
			 May 2001 1

Occupational Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate is provided by the Government Actuary's latest survey of occupational pension schemes on (a) the proportion of such shares which undertake annual reviews of the level of pensions currently payable, (b) the proportion of occupational pensioners who have received post-retirement pension increases which are equivalent to, or better than, limited price indexation and (c) the average proportion of trustees of such schemes who are appointed by the employer.

Ruth Kelly: Information about pensions increases is given in chapter 9 of "Occupational Pension Schemes 1995—Tenth Survey by the Government Actuary". Further information on the relationship between pension increases granted by a scheme and the appointment of trustees is not readily available.

Occupational Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to publish the report of the Government Actuary's Department 2000 survey of occupational pensions.

Ruth Kelly: The Government Actuary will release the results of his survey of occupational pension schemes as at 2000 in mid 2002.

Global Downturn

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures introduced since 1997 have enabled the United Kingdom to become better placed to withstand a global downturn; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: While no country can fully insulate itself from global conditions, the Government's reforms to the macroeconomic framework and their tough decisions on tax and spending are helping to ensure the UK is better placed to respond than on previous occasions to developments in the world economy. The Government's latest views on economic and policy developments will be set out in the Chancellor's pre-Budget statement to the House on 27 November.

Oil Prices

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the sensitivity of revenues to oil price changes.

Dawn Primarolo: Estimates of the impact of changes in oil prices on revenues can be found in box B2 of the pre-Budget report 2000, which is available in the Library of the House.

Departmental Stress Audit

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library the conclusions on his Department's stress audit presented to the Treasury Management Board in (a) 2000 and (b) 2001.

Ruth Kelly: The Department accepted in full the findings of the 1999 stress audit and has been responding to its recommendations. The Department proposes to carry out a follow-up audit in 2002.

Euro

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what costs his Department has incurred in achieving EMU compliance.

Ruth Kelly: An update on euro preparations was included in the Fifth Report on Euro Preparations, published on 4 November 2001. Copies of the report are available in the Library of the House.

Euro

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on planned expenditure in the United Kingdom from the Pericles programme to cover euro-counterfeiting; and if Europol officers will be involved.

Ruth Kelly: The Pericles programme is not expected to entail significant new expenditure. Most of the costs of the programme will be met by the Community. The costs associated with training UK staff are likely to be met from existing budgets for that purpose within the agencies concerned—principally the National Criminal Intelligence Service and the Bank of England.
	Contributors to the Pericles programme will be invited from all the international organisations with relevant expertise, including Europol and Interpol.

Euro

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what analysis he has made of the establishment of monitors of price stability during the currency switchover period in Eurozone countries; who will fulfil such a role in the context of the UK joining the euro; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the introduction of the euro on inflation in European economies, with reference to the consequential effect on the United Kingdom economy; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: Background to developments in the euro area was set out in the Fifth Report on Euro Preparations, published on 4 November. Preparations for the possibility of the UK joining the single currency are addressed in the second Outline National Changeover Plan, published in March 2000. Copies of both documents are in the Library of the House.

Fair Trade

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what fairly traded products, other than tea and coffee, have been purchased by his Department in each of the last five years; and what was their value;
	(2)  what is the value of fairly traded (a) tea and (b) coffee used in his Department in each of the last five years.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Overseas Detainees

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK nationals are detained in overseas prisons.

Ben Bradshaw: As of 1 November we were aware of 3,485 British nationals in prison overseas.

Appointments

Tim Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many appointments he has made to public bodies since 7 June; and how many are in his gift.

Ben Bradshaw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office made five ministerial appointments between 7 June and 31 October 2001. The FCO is responsible for 50 ministerial appointments.

Language Charter

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress the Government have made in reviewing the case to specify the inclusion of additional UK languages within the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

Denis MacShane: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz) on 17 January 2001, Official Report, column 233W. This remained the position when the Government ratified the Charter on 27 March 2001. The assessment of whether Cornish also meets the definition of a regional or minority language is not yet completed.

Council of Europe

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Council of Europe (a) conventions, (b) charters and (c) other agreements the United Kingdom (i) has signed and responded to with a report, (ii) has signed but not yet prepared a report, (iii) has under consideration for signature and (iv) has rejected for signature since 1971.

Denis MacShane: The UK has signed and ratified 107 of the 186 Council of Europe legal instruments. The need to produce a report is exceptional and required by only four of its legal instruments: the European Social Charter, the Framework Convention for the protection of national minorities, the European Charter for regional or minority languages, and the Code of Social Security. The UK has produced reports on its application of the provisions of the first two instruments. A report on implementation of the Languages Charter is due by 1 July 2002. The UK has neither signed nor ratified the Code of Social Security.
	Concerning parts (iii) and (iv) of the question, the work involved in gathering the required information on the 62 legal instruments which the UK has not signed would entail disproportionate costs.

British Dependent Territories

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on (a) health care facilities and (b) education provision in each of the British Dependent Territories.

Ben Bradshaw: Health and education are the responsibility of the locally elected Governments under the constitutions of the Overseas Territories. Health and education facilities are available on all the inhabited territories commensurate with the size of the populations and available public funds. Reciprocal health agreements for the referral of patients exist between the United Kingdom and Gibraltar, British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Helena and the Falklands Islands.
	The table sets out facilities available.
	
		
			  Education Health 
		
		
			 Anguilla   
			 Primary schools 7 (includes 1 private)  
			 Secondary schools 1  
			 Colleges 0  
			 Doctors  13 (includes private practice) 
			 Clinics  5 
			 Hospitals  1 
			
			 BVI   
			 Primary schools 23 (7 private, 1 special needs)  
			 Secondary 4 (1 private)  
			 Community college 1  
			 Doctors  39 (16 private 
			 Health centres  12 (3 private) 
			 Hospitals  2 (1 private) 
			
			 Bermuda   
			 Primary schools 18  
			 Secondary schools 2  
			 Middle schools 5  
			 Pre-schools 12  
			 Colleges of higher education 1  
			 Doctors  113 in active practice 
			 Public health centres  4 
			 Hospitals  1 general and 1 psychiatric 
			
			 Cayman Islands   
			 Primary schools 20 (9 private)  
			 Secondary schools 9 (6 private)  
			 Colleges 2 (1 private)  
			 Doctors  84 (41 private) 
			 Clinics  37 (24 private) 
			 Hospitals  4 (1 private) 
			
			 Falkland Islands (15)—  
			 Doctors  4 (1 P/T)(16) 
			 Hospital  1 (in Stanley)(16) 
			 There are no separate clinics or health centres   
			
			 Gibraltar No figures available  
			 Hospitals  2(17) 
			
			 Montserrat   
			 Primary schools 2  
			 Secondary school 1  
			  (18)—  
			 Doctors  3 (hospital) 
			 Chief Medical Officer  1 
			 Private practices  3 (1 P/T) 
			 Clinics  4 
			 Hospitals  1 
			   
			 St. Helena   
			 Primary schools 7  
			 Secondary schools 1  
			 Doctors  4 
			 Dentist  1 
			 Hospital  1 
			
			 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (19)—  
			 Doctors  1 
			 Medical centre  1(20) 
			
			 Turks and Caicos   
			 Primary schools 34 (24 private)(21)  
			 Secondary schools 5 (1 private)(21)  
			 Colleges 3  
			 Doctors  24 (10 private) 
			 Clinics  15 (4 private, 1 specialist) 
			 Hospitals  2 
		
	
	(15) In the Falkland Islands, one primary school and one secondary school in Stanley, plus a system of Camp education which includes four settlement (primary) schools and a team of travelling teachers who visit 15 locations.
	(16) These figures are for facilities provided by the FIG and GSGSSI; they take no account of the modest health and educational facilities funded by the MOD for military personnel and dependants.
	(17) There are some referrals across the border to La Linea.
	(18) There are no colleges in Montserrat, although a Community College is planned. Sixth form has also resumed this academic year.
	(19) There are no children, therefore there are no educational facilities.
	(20) For the use of the scientific and administrative communities.
	(21) Many of these are quite small private ventures, and will include Haitian schools. It must be remembered that the population of these islands is dispersed throughout six inhabited islands, each of which has its education establishments.

NATO

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish details of the recent discussions he has had with the Russian Government concerning NATO expansion in (a) the Baltic states and (b) East-Central Europe.

Ben Bradshaw: The Foreign Secretary has regular discussions with his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov on a wide range of policy issues. They met most recently at the UN General Assembly in New York on 12 November.

Middle East

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to assist the economies of (a) Israel, (b) Jordan, (c) Syria, (d) the Palestinian Territories and (e) Lebanon.

Ben Bradshaw: (a) The Government have no bilateral economic assistance or aid packages for Israel.
	(b) The current planned level of bilateral assistance to Jordan is £3.5 million per annum. Through the UK's contribution to the EC's MEDA funds, we are also providing approximately £6.5 million per annum in assistance to Jordan.
	(c) Provisional estimates for Syria's allocation of the EC's MEDA funds for 2000 are £1.5 million. The share attributed to the UK is 19.01 per cent. The UK is also supporting Syria's economic reform programme.
	(d) UK bilateral assistance to the Palestinians is £14 million in 2001. The Government also contribute to budgetary aid through our share of the EC MEDA programme—equivalent to £15 million this year.
	(e) Provisional estimates for Lebanon's allocation of the EC's MEDA funds for 2000 are £25.77 million. The share attributed to the UK is 19.01 per cent.
	Over the past four years the UK has substantially increased its contributions to the work of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) which provides services to Palestinians throughout the region. In 2001 the UK contribution is £25 million.

Palestine

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria he will apply to determine whether a future Palestinian state is viable.

Ben Bradshaw: HMG remain convinced that an independent, democratic and peaceful Palestinian state should emerge as part of a negotiated settlement that guarantees peace and stability for Israel, secure within recognised borders and viewed as an equal partner in the region.
	The details are for agreement between the parties in permanent status negotiations. HMG believe the characteristics of such a viable Palestinian state might include for example a high degree of territorial contiguity, responsibility for internal security, and the development of a full range of institutions necessary for effective governance.

Diplomatic Passports

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give hon. Members diplomatic passports on the same basis as British Members of the European Parliament.

Peter Hain: The Government do not issue diplomatic passports to MEPs.

Representation Offices

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will open representation offices for the devolved Administrations.

Jack Straw: Under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding and the concordat on International Relations between the UK Government and the devolved Administrations, the devolved Administrations may establish offices within the framework of their responsibility for devolved matters in consultation with the FCO. The FCO and the United Kingdom Permanent Representation to the European Union have already assisted the devolved Administrations to establish offices in Brussels. The FCO will continue to assist the Administrations and to provide such advice as they require. Considerable efforts are also made within the UK to consult the devolved Administrations on EU matters. Ministers from each of the devolved Administrations are members of a Cabinet Committee which I chair.

Entertainment Budget

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish his Department's entertainment budget for the last financial year.

Denis MacShane: Total worldwide entertainment expenditure in 2000–01 amounted to £11.4 million. Expenditure on entertainment covers a wide range of activities including promotional and trade events, receptions in honour of high level visitors, sustaining contacts with politicians and parliamentarians worldwide and events to establish and cultivate contacts. All are undertaken in pursuit of FCO objectives, both at home and in our posts overseas.
	In addition, the FCO administered Government Hospitality Fund drawn upon by all Government Departments when entertaining overseas visitors, spent £1.6 million in 2000–01.

Northern Ireland Executive

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the United Kingdom Representation at Brussels has extended to the Northern Ireland Executive in helping them to establish an office in Brussels.

Jack Straw: The office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels is responsible to the Northern Ireland devolved administration. As with the Brussels offices of the Scottish Executive and the National Assembly for Wales, assistance has been extended to ensure that the Northern Ireland (EU) office is able to operate under the umbrella of the United Kingdom Permanent Representation to the European Union, with which it has close working relations. The office's Director and Deputy Director have been accredited to the Belgian authorities as members of the Permanent Representation. In March/May 2001, the Director was given temporary office accommodation in the Permanent Representation while work was completed on the Northern Ireland Executive's new premises in Brussels.

Zimbabwe

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the support given by (a) Zimbabwean and (b) other SADC parliamentarians for the electoral recommendations to Zimbabwe by the SADC Parliamentary Forum.

Ben Bradshaw: We welcome the commitment shown by SADC parliamentarians to democratic norms in the conduct of elections in their region, reflected in the recommendations agreed at the SADC Parliamentary Forum meeting in Windhoek on 25 March 2001. SADC parliamentarians clearly have a valuable role to play in ensuring their recommendations are followed in all SADC countries. We hope they will urge respect for these recommendations in the run up to the forthcoming Zimbabwean Presidential election.

Zimbabwe

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what international efforts are being made to encourage the Government of Zimbabwe to implement the recommendations on elections endorsed at the meeting of the SADC Parliamentary Forum at Windhoek in March.

Ben Bradshaw: The UK, the Commonwealth, the Southern African Development Community, the EU, the US and other concerned members of the international community continue to urge the Government of Zimbabwe, at every opportunity, to create a climate conducive to free and fair elections, and to admit international election observers in good time. The recommendations of the SADC Parliamentary Forum set important benchmarks for the whole region.

Zimbabwe

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he has taken to support the SADC Parliamentary Forum proposals for elections in Zimbabwe.

Ben Bradshaw: We continue to urge the Government of Zimbabwe, at every opportunity, to create a climate conducive to free and fair elections.
	With our EU partners, we shall focus on the electorial process during forthcoming consultations with the Government of Zimbabwe, under Article 96 of the Cotonou agreement, including the norms and standards set by SADC for elections in Southern Africa.

Zimbabwe

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations (a) his Department and (b) international organisations have made to the Zimbabwe Government to ensure that a politically neutral election commission is in place to administer the forthcoming presidential election in Zimbabwe.

Ben Bradshaw: We continue to urge the Government of Zimbabwe, at every opportunity, to create a climate conducive to free and fair elections, including a neutral Electoral Supervisory Commission. We are also working with our EU colleagues to encourage a free and fair electoral process in Zimbabwe in the context of consultations with the Government of Zimbabwe under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement.

Zimbabwe

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what British representations have been made to the Government of Zimbabwe relating to (a) free access for all parties to up to date copies of the electronic voters roll, (b) freedom of private media, (c) equal access of all parties to state controlled media during the presidential election campaign and (d) agreement to the admission of election observers bound by the SADC Parliamentary Forum Code.

Ben Bradshaw: We urge the Government of Zimbabwe, at every opportunity, to create a climate conducive to free and fair elections and to admit international election observers in the lead up to, and during, the forthcoming Presidential elections. We shall, with our EU partners, also focus on the electoral process during forthcoming consultations with the Government of Zimbabwe, under Article 96 of the Cotonou agreement.

Zimbabwe

Tony Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the South African Government about the situation in Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: My noble Friend Baroness Amos discussed Zimbabwe with South African Ministers in October.

Data Protection Act (Notifications)

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the notifications of the Intelligence Service and GCHQ in relation to Part III of the Data Protection Act 1998 are up to date; whether these agencies are to notify purposes associated with the processing of personal data (a) to assist the police and (b) to protect the economic well-being of the state; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The notifications of the Secret Intelligence Service and GCHQ under Part III of the Data Protection Act are up to date and are available on the Data Protection Register which can be viewed on the website of the Information Commissioner www.drp.gov.uk. There is no intention to make any notification in respect of the statutory functions of SIS and GCHQ as defined by the Intelligence Service Act 1994. The requirement for an exemption to safeguard national security under Section 28 of the Data Protection Act is not dependent upon the personal data being processed for a national security purpose.

British Council Offices

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to establish permanent offices of the British Council in (a) Bishkek, (b) Astana and (c) Yerevan.

Peter Hain: British Council activities in Kyrgystan are currently managed from Almaty. The opening of an office in Bishkek is currently under discussion. There are no plans to open an office in Astana. British Council activities in Kazakhstan are directed from Almaty. A British Council office opened in Yerevan in June 2001.

Diplomatic Representation (Central Asia)

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to change the permanent diplomatic presence in (a) Dushanbe, (b) Bishkek, (c) Ashgabat and (d) Tashkent.

Peter Hain: The Government hope to have diplomatic representation in Dushanbe soon; we also plan to open a full embassy in Bishkek in 2003, and a diplomat will be posted to Bishkek early next year to supervise the setting up of the mission; there are no current plans to change the diplomatic presence in Ashgabat; the embassy in Tashkent will be shortly reinforced with a defence attaché, and a drugs liaison officer will be posted in the summer of 2002.

Diplomatic Representation (Central Asia)

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to enhance diplomatic representation in Central Asia.

Peter Hain: The Government hope to have diplomatic representation in Dushanbe soon; we also plan to open a full embassy in Bishkek in 2003, and a diplomat will be posted to Bishkek early next year to supervise the setting up of the mission; the embassy in Tashkent will be shortly reinforced with a defence attaché, and a drugs liaison officer will be posted in summer 2002. We have recently reinforced the embassy in Ashgabat with a drugs liaison officer, and a regional defence attaché has been posted to Almaty. The opening of an embassy in Bishkek and an office in Dushanbe will also strengthen the capabilities of the embassies in Almaty and Tashkent respectively, which currently cover those countries, by freeing up resources.

Drugs Liaison Officer (Tashkent)

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will appoint a full-time drugs liaison officer to Tashkent.

Ben Bradshaw: We plan to post a drugs liaison officer to Tashkent from summer 2002. This will reinforce our drug liaison capacity in the region following the recent posting of a drugs liaison officer to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

NATO Intelligence

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact on the security of intelligence within NATO arising from (a) the recent changes in senior personnel in Polish intelligence services and (b) the expulsion from Poland of the representative of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Ben Bradshaw: We do not believe that either event will have any impact on the security of intelligence within NATO.

Russia (International Coalition)

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the assistance rendered to (a) British and (b) other coalition forces by Russia since 11 September.

Ben Bradshaw: President Putin's statement of 24 September committed Russia to supporting the coalition, opening its airspace to humanitarian flights, intelligence co-operation, search and rescue, and support for western bases in central Asia.
	Russia has realised this commitment.

Muslim Fundamentalism

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the threat of Muslim fundamentalism to the political stability of countries bordering Afghanistan.

Ben Bradshaw: Religious beliefs, peacefully held, should pose no threat to any Government. But the extremist belief that the violent pursuit of political goals is justified poses a threat to the people of many countries, including those that border Afghanistan. However, extremists prepared to use indiscriminate violence in support of their religious, political or ideological aims form only a small proportion of the population of the countries bordering Afghanistan. We will continue to work bilaterally and multilaterally with these countries to preserve regional stability.

Commonwealth Heads of Government

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the next Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting will be held.

Ben Bradshaw: The next Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting will take place from 2 to 5 March 2002 in Queensland, Australia.

Chechnya (Al-Qaeda)

Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the involvement of al-Qaeda in the murder of three British hostages in Chechnya in 1998.

Ben Bradshaw: We are aware of and have condemned the links between some extremist groups fighting in Chechnya and Osama bin Laden/the Taliban. We do not know for certain the circumstances behind the deaths of the four men in December 1998. To date we have not seen any corroborating evidence that bin Laden or the Taliban ordered the deaths of the four men.
	We first became aware of the allegation last year, when it appeared in an official Russian publication called "Chechnya: The White Paper". A similar article appeared in the Russian newspaper "Gazeta" on 24 October 2001. To date, we have been unable to verify the story, although we have been in contact with the Russian authorities and the author of the "Gazeta" article.

Afghanistan

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria he will apply in deciding to recognise the new Government of Afghanistan.

Ben Bradshaw: Since 1980, it has been HMG's policy to recognise States, not Governments.
	As regards a future Government in Afghanistan, UN Security Council Resolution 1378 (2001) in paragraph 1:
	"Expresses its strong support for the efforts of the Afghan people to establish a new and transitional administration leading to the formation of a government, both of which should be broad-based, multi-ethnic and fully representative of all the Afghan people."

Afghanistan

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the role of the former King of Afghanistan (a) in the future constitution and (b) in the future Government of the country.

Ben Bradshaw: The future Government and constitution of Afghanistan is for Afghans to decide, with the support of the United Nations, UN Special Representative Brahimi and the international community.
	The ex-King is a respected figure in Afghanistan and he could play a useful role in garnering supporting among all Afghans for these efforts. We welcome the meeting of Afghan representatives in Bonn on 27 November at which the ex-King will be represented.

DEFENCE

Bicester (Defence Estate)

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the defence estate at Bicester.

Lewis Moonie: There are a number of Ministry of Defence sites in the Bicester area. The Defence Logistics Organisation Caversfield (formerly DCTA Caversfield) is operational. The adjacent Caversfield married quarters are occupied, in the main, by United States forces personnel. RAF Bicester is being promoted through the review of the local plan and is likely to be sold by 2004–05, once the planning issues have been resolved.
	At the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency Bicester there are three sites (A, B and G) which are surplus to the long-term requirements of the agency and will no longer be required by them after 2004 or earlier.
	The former RAF Upper Heyford site, which became surplus some years ago is subject to a joint venture agreement with North Oxfordshire Consortium.

Aldermaston

David Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes he has made to the level of Ministry of Defence police security at AWE Aldermaston since 11 September.

Lewis Moonie: There have been no changes to the Ministry of Defence police complement at AWE Aldermaston since 11 September.
	The standing level of security at AWE Aldermaston is maintained at a high level, irrespective of fluctuations in the security alert states that may apply to other Government establishments or MOD installations. Security arrangements at AWE Aldermaston are kept under constant review.

Sierra Leone

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops are in Sierra Leone.

Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops are in Sierra Leone.

Adam Ingram: There are approximately 400 British service personnel deployed ashore in Sierra Leone at the present time. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence announced on 1 September, we are in the process of re-configuring our forces in support of the Sierra Leone Army and the Military Reintegration Process, and this figure will reduce to 360 by 1 January 2002. We are also currently contributing 15 military observers and eight headquarters staff officers to UNAMSIL, the UN operation in Sierra Leone.

RNAS Yeovilton

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will take a decision on the future role of RNAS Yeovilton.

Adam Ingram: The Strategic Defence Review confirmed that RNAS Yeovilton will remain a major Royal Naval and Defence establishment, and recommended the transfer of the Sea Harrier squadrons and support staff from RNAS Yeovilton to RAF Cottesmore and Wittering in 2003, as part of the Joint Force Harrier initiative.
	The precise mix of aircraft types to be based at RNAS Yeovilton in the next decade remains under review. Any emerging proposals for change would be announced in due course and would be subject, where appropriate, to consultation.
	As part of the study into the basing strategy of the Joint Helicopter Command, I have recently agreed to the recommendation, based on operational and cost grounds, that helicopters based at RAF Odiham and 9 Regiment AAC Dishforth should remain in their current locations, rather than move to RNAS Yeovilton.

Exercise Saif Sareea 2

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of exercise Saif Sareea 2 was.

Adam Ingram: The estimated cost for Saif Sareea 2 was £90.3 million. A final figure will not be available until later in the financial year. However, initial post exercise figures indicate a slight reduction in anticipated costs. This is mainly due to the withdrawal from the exercise of some elements for operational reasons.

Pensions

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give unmarried couples serving in the armed forces pension rights equivalent to those enjoyed by married couples.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has no current plans to amend the Armed Forces Pension Scheme or the War Pension Scheme to provide unmarried couples with pension rights equivalent to those of married couples. However, following public consultation on a comprehensive review of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme, we will be considering representations on a range of issues including that of benefits for unmarried partners.

Pensions

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the terms of reference of the review of the armed forces pension scheme.

Adam Ingram: Following Sir Michael Bett's Independent Review of the Armed Forces Manpower, Career, and Remuneration Structures it was recommended that there should be a review of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS). The aim of the AFPS review is to consider future pension arrangements for new entrants and current serving members of the armed forces which will meet the essential needs of the armed services for the foreseeable future for recruitment, retention and motivation in a manner that is fair, cost-effective and affordable. It was agreed that the review would need to examine structures and levels of payment, commutation arrangements, arrangements for future funding, arrangements for dependants, reviews and appeals. An analysis of the comments received on the AFPS review is now being undertaken.

International Terrorism

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his plans for the future involvement of British forces in combating international terrorism.

Geoff Hoon: As I said earlier today, given the rapid pace of events, I have concluded that it is no longer necessary for all the units placed on 48 hours notice to move 10 days ago to remain at this state of readiness. With the exception of elements of 2 PARA and 16 Air Assault Brigade and their key enablers, the bulk of these forces will revert to their previous readiness state and will be able to move within one week.
	Before any decisions are taken to deploy any of these forces to Afghanistan, we will take account of the situation on the ground, including reports from the detachment in Bagram; the progress of the political process being set in train in Bonn this week; and consultation within the coalition.

International Terrorism

Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his plans for the future involvement of British forces in combating international terrorism.

Geoff Hoon: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friends the Members for North Durham (Mr. Jones) and for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Paul Farrelly), Official Report, column 668.

International Terrorism

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the role of the Royal Marines in the coalition against terrorism.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Wirral, South (Mr. Chapman), Official Report, columns 662–63.

International Terrorism

Gillian Merron: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on international terrorism.

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on international terrorism.

Geoff Hoon: Since the terrorist attacks on the United States on 11 September, and NATO's decision to invoke Article 5 of the Washington Treaty on 12 September, there have been extensive and continuing discussions at ministerial, official and military levels on how best to counter the threat posed by international terrorism. I have taken part in both formal and informal discussions with my counterparts from other NATO nations on numerous occasions. An enhanced package of counter-terrorist measures has already been adopted by the Alliance, with a range of further actions under consideration.
	This robust and swift response to international terrorism has demonstrated once again both the solidarity of the Alliance and its continuing relevance in the post-Cold War era.

Gender and Racial Equality

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent steps the armed forces have taken to promote (a) gender and (b) racial equality within the services.

Adam Ingram: The armed forces goal is to achieve an environment free from harassment, intimidation and discrimination. All three services have in place a wide range of measures to support and promote that goal. These include confidential advice and support help lines, a network of equal opportunities advisers, equality training programmes and outreach initiatives.

Test Ban Treaty

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with (a) the US and (b) Russia in relation to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

Geoff Hoon: I have had no recent substantive discussions on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty with the United States or with Russia.

Strike Fighter Project

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the securing of design authority with reference to the joint strike fighter project.

Geoff Hoon: The exchange of letters in January 2001 with the then United States Defence Secretary Cohen allows for the UK to have a national joint strike fighter (JSF) support capability, if required. Establishment of a UK design authority would fall under this heading.
	Ministry of Defence officials are working closely with their US counterparts to ensure that US information is released in a timely manner to enable UK industry to put forward cost-effective options for JSF support.

Prisoners of War

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications for the ex gratia payment to former prisoners of the Japanese announced on 7 November 2000 have been (a) accepted, (b) rejected and (c) remain to be determined.

Lewis Moonie: As at 12 November, 22,622 applications for the ex gratia payment have been accepted. 3,741 have been rejected and 1,240 remain to be determined.

Afghanistan

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the deployment of members of the armed forces to assist the humanitarian effort in Afghanistan.

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assets his Department has made available for the delivery of humanitarian aid in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: We have made available a number of service personnel and service assets to assist the humanitarian effort in Afghanistan.
	A detachment of Royal Marines has been deployed to Bagram as part of a coalition mission to help make the airport usable by United Nations and other diplomatic and humanitarian missions.
	We also have a small team of armed forces personnel in Islamabad where, along with United States colleagues, they are liaising with aid agencies, as well as other personnel in the United States who are assisting with the planning and co-ordination of the coalition humanitarian effort.
	In addition, the Canberra PR9 reconnaissance aircraft which we have deployed to the region can assist in the targeting of humanitarian assistance by identifying concentrations of displaced persons. We will, of course, consider making other assets available as necessary.

Afghanistan

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many women are on active duty as part of the Afghanistan campaign.

Geoff Hoon: Approximately 300 women are currently on active duty as part of the UK contribution to the international coalition against terrorism.

European Defence Initiative

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made to encourage NATO to share information with the European defence initiative.

Geoff Hoon: The EU and NATO have been working closely together on the development of the European Security and Defence Policy. NATO has assisted in the analysis of capability requirements and has been involved in the assessment of national offers towards the pool of forces.
	The EU's Political and Security Committee (PSC) and NATO's North Atlantic Council (NAC), as well as the EU's and NATO's respective Military Committees, meet on a regular basis and at least once per Presidency. Further meetings may be requested.
	NATO has agreed in principle to allow the EU access to its assets and capabilities and we are discussing the details of the arrangements. An EU-NATO security agreement is also being established to allow the exchange of classified information between NATO and the EU.

Cadet Forces

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the strength of cadet forces.

Lewis Moonie: As at 1 April this year, the total strength of the cadet forces was 128,304. Although this represents a decrease of 3,650, or 2.8 per cent., since April 2000, cadet numbers have been relatively stable over recent years. The cadet forces continue to offer a wide range of military, adventurous and sporting activities, and the opportunity to gain nationally recognised qualifications as well as enhance personal development. We strongly encourage young people and adult volunteers to join and the Services will continue to offer practical support for the cadet forces' recruitment activities wherever possible.

Armed Forces Establishment

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total establishment of the armed forces is; and how many vacancies are unfilled.

Adam Ingram: The current trained requirement of the armed forces, as at 1 October, was 197,243 against a total trained strength of 187,699, showing a shortfall of 9,544.

Armed Forces Recruitment

Syd Rapson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes there have been to rates of recruitment and retention in the armed forces since 11 September.

Adam Ingram: Apart from an increase in the number of inquiries about armed forces careers, there have been no discernible changes to the rates of recruitment or retention which might normally be expected at this point in the year.

Low Flying

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are in place to monitor low flying by the RAF.

Lewis Moonie: The number of hours booked for military low flying in the UK Low Flying System is monitored throughout the training year from April to March. As part of the monitoring process, the RAF police carry out regular covert surveys of military low flying, often assisted by the deployment of a Skyguard radar system which measures accurately the heights and speeds of aircraft. These checks confirm a healthy respect for the regulations. A copy of the statement on the pattern of military low flying for the training year to March 2001 was placed in the Library of the House on 17 July.

Capabilities Initiative

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the defence capabilities initiative.

Geoff Hoon: NATO's Defence Capabilities Initiative was launched at the Washington Summit in April 1999 with a view to addressing shortfalls in military capabilities across the Alliance. Since then NATO nations have been working hard to implement the initiative. Progress has been made in many capability areas, including air to air refuelling; air and sealift and precision-guided munitions. The UK's own performance within the Defence Capabilities Initiative compares very well with the Alliance average.

Land Mines

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on new technology to detect and remove land mines; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: holding answer 20 November 2001
	The Ministry of Defence's on-going generic mine detection research programme is currently assessing the following technologies:
	Ground penetrating radar
	Metal detection
	Polarised thermal imaging
	Ultra wide-band radar
	Quadrupole resonance.
	This research has resulted in the demonstration last year of an integrated three-sensor portable mine detector and a four-sensor vehicle mounted mine detection system.
	Research is also under way on a Portable Humanitarian Mine Detector. A pre-production demonstrator system will be completed by July 2002 for assessment by humanitarian de-mining organisations.
	The Ministry of Defence and QuinetiQ have also developed a pyrotechnic torch for destroying anti- personnel and anti-tank mines with minimal collateral damage and improved safety of deployment. Current procurement action for this system is aimed at delivering 2000 units into military service by early 2002.
	The Defence Procurement Agency placed contracts in October with Ultra Electronics Ltd. of High Wycombe, Bucks and Hunting Engineering Ltd. (now Insys Ltd.) of Ampthill, Bedfordshire for the Competitive Assessment Phase of the Mine Detection, Neutralisation and Route Marking System (MINDER) Programme, with an initial capability to enter service by 2005.
	Progress has also been made to improve the effectiveness of minefield breaching operations, and techniques have been developed to improve ploughing efficiency and survivability. Investigations into individual mine neutralisation are also taking place.

RAF Bases

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the contribution made by RAF Lyneham to the local economy.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has not produced a formal estimate of the current contribution made by RAF Lyneham to the local economy. As I announced on 22 November 2001, Official Report, column 367W, a study has been commissioned as part of the Department's normal planning process, to consider the future roles of RAF Lyneham, RAF Brize Norton and RAF St. Mawgan and an economic appraisal of all three sites will be conducted as part of this work. It is understood that previous local estimates have placed the contribution to the local economy in the region of £18 million a year and this figure will be validated as part of the study.

RAF Bases

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many planes are based at (a) RAF Brize Norton and (b) RAF Lyneham; and how this total will change in the next five years to reflect (i) the introduction of the A400M and the C130J and (ii) the phasing out of the VC10 and Tristar.

Adam Ingram: There are currently 33 aircraft based at RAF Brize Norton and 54 aircraft based at RAF Lyneham. On current plans, three Hercules C130K aircraft based at RAF Lyneham will be retired within the next five years in the last element of the rolling programme to replace part of the Hercules C130K fleet with C130Js. No other changes in aircraft numbers at RAF Lyneham and RAF Brize Norton are currently planned in the next five years as a result of the procurement of the A400M and C130J or the phasing out of the VC10 and Tristars.

RAF Bases

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many vacant rooms there are at RAF Brize Norton (a) officers accommodation and (b) other ranks accommodation.

Lewis Moonie: As at 20 November 2001 there were (a) 31 rooms vacant in Officers' Mess accommodation out of a total of 183 and (b) four rooms vacant in the other ranks single living accommodation out of a total of 1,289. All 31 rooms vacant in the Officers' Mess are out of use as a result of repair work currently being carried out in one wing of the mess.

RAF Bases

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what square footage of (a) hangers for aircraft maintenance and repairs and (b) apron parking there is at (i) RAF Lyneham and (ii) RAF Brize Norton; and what the total acreage is of each base.

Adam Ingram: Hangars used for aircraft maintenance and repairs cover approximately 27,500 square metres at RAF Lyneham and approximately 19,970 square metres at RAF Brize Norton. The area of apron parking is approximately 270,000 square metres at RAF Lyneham and 470,000 square metres at RAF Brize Norton. RAF Lyneham covers approximately 1,164 acres and RAF Brize Norton approximately 1,184 acres.

RAF Bases

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers and other ranks live in single accommodation at (a) RAF Lyneham and (b) RAF Brize Norton.

Lewis Moonie: As at 20 November 2001, there were 112 officers and 861 other ranks living in single living accommodation at RAF Lyneham. On the same date 152 officers and 1,275 other ranks were living in single living accommodation at RAF Brize Norton.

RAF Bases

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many married quarters' houses there are at (a) RAF Lyneham and (b) RAF Brize Norton; and how many married quarters houses at RAF Brize Norton are unoccupied.

Lewis Moonie: There are 764 service families' accommodation at RAF Lyneham and 1,286 at RAF Brize Norton. 241 properties at Brize Norton are unoccupied although they are shortly to be handed back to Annington Homes. 68 are being refurbished or awaiting major repairs and 23 have been allocated to service families.

RAF Bases

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what length the runway is at (a) RAF Lyneham and (b) RAF Brize Norton.

Adam Ingram: The length of the main runway available for take off or landing at RAF Lyneham is 2,386 metres. The length of the secondary runway is 1,826 metres. The runway at RAF Brize Norton available for take off and landing is 3,050 metres long.

British War Graves

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on the maintenance of non-world war I and world war II war graves overseas in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Lewis Moonie: Precise figures are not available before financial year 1997–98; however it is estimated that £150,000 per annum was spent. A payment is also made to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) who maintain a number of non-world war graves on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. The figures are set out in the table.
	
		£000 
		
			 Financial year Actual spend CWGC payment 
		
		
			 1992–93 (22)150 431 
			 1993–94 (22)150 471 
			 1994–95 (22)150 579 
			 1995–96 (22)150 533 
			 1996–97 (22)150 536 
			 1997–98 (22)150 513 
			 1998–99 152 578 
			 1999–2000 116 600 
			 2000–01 302 557 
			 2001–02 (23)— 627 
		
	
	(22) Estimated
	(23) Not available

British War Graves

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contribution his Department has made to the South African Heritage Resources Agency for the maintenance of British war graves in each of the last 10 years.

Lewis Moonie: The Ministry of Defence has contributed the following amounts to the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA), formerly the National Monuments Council, over the last 10 years:
	
		
			 Year £ 
		
		
			 1992 3,100 
			 1993 10,000 
			 1994 10,000 
			 1995 10,000 
			 1996 10,000 
			 1997 10,000 
			 1998 10,000 
			 1999 15,000 
			 2000 15,000 
			 2001 15,000

British War Graves

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his annual departmental budget is for the maintenance of non-world war I and world war II war graves overseas.

Lewis Moonie: It is estimated that in financial year 2001–02 £627,000 will be paid to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) for the maintenance of overseas non-world war Graves (NWG) which the CWGC maintain on our behalf. A further £185,000 will be spent on the maintenance of NWG in countries where the UK formerly had garrisons, and which are maintained under the auspices of the Defence Attachés, either through contracts or local organisations.

British War Graves

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are in place for the maintenance of British war graves overseas of servicemen who perished in conflicts other than world wars I and II; and if he will make a statement.

Lewis Moonie: The term overseas non-world war graves (NWG) includes those who have died from normal causes or accidents, and who were buried overseas. It also includes dependants in countries where there are existing garrisons (Cyprus, Falkland Islands, Germany etc.). Non-war graves are maintained by property managers who are under the control of the local commander. In Korea, 885 British NWG are maintained by the UN commission to which we make an annual contribution. In South Africa there are 20,000 graves in 340 sites and these are maintained by the South African Heritage Resources Agency. In Malaysia and Hong Kong there are 3,694 graves in 20 sites maintained by local firms under contracts managed by the local Defence Adviser and Vice Consul respectively. In 11 other countries there are a total of 852 graves which are maintained through a variety of agreements with ex patriots, Christian churches or local communities, for which we pay basic costs. All these are managed through Defence Attachés.

Procurement

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans the Defence Procurement Agency has to centralise the information on the number of small and medium enterprises with which his Department has signed procurement contracts.

Lewis Moonie: The Ministry of Defence is considering whether it should centralise information on the number of small and medium enterprises with which it has signed procurement contracts. I will write to the hon. Member when this work is completed, and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Swift Sword II

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions the Army used (a) civilian contractors and (b) the Omani armed forces for the purpose of transporting tanks in connection with exercise Swift Sword II.

Adam Ingram: No civilian contractors were used to transport Challenger 2 tanks during the exercise.
	Saif Sareea was a combined UK/Omani exercise, designed to practice and improve the interoperability of each nations' armed forces. Working closely together with the Omanis was therefore, by design, a major feature of the exercise. A total of 30 tanks and other heavy armoured vehicles were transported by the Omanis to facilitate their recovery from the exercise area to the port of departure from Oman.

Swift Sword II

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many tank transporters were unserviceable during exercise Swift Sword II; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Thirty tank transporters were deployed on exercise Saif Sareea. The harsh desert environment and high tempo of activity during the exercise made this a very demanding test. Inevitably, routine maintenance and servicing led to occasional periods of non-availability of individual tank transporters. Overall, however, their average availability during the exercise was in excess of 85 per cent.
	Given the known limitations of the current fleet of tank transporters and the testing conditions in which the exercise was conducted, this was an entirely satisfactory figure. Notwithstanding, we are now in the final states of negotiations for a replacement and are confident that this will be in service by late 2003.

Suez Campaign Medal

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 5 November 2001 to the hon. Member for Coventry, South (Mr. Cunningham), Official Report, column 26W, on the Suez campaign, what recent discussions he has had with ex-servicemen's organisations on the question of awarding a medal for service in the Canal Zone in the early 1950s.

Lewis Moonie: The Ministry of Defence has not had any recent discussions with ex-servicemen's organisations about the retrospective institution of a new campaign medal to mark service in the Canal Zone during the early 1950s.

Public Bodies

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will list those public bodies to which his Department appoints members and which are not listed in Public Bodies 2000;
	(2)  if he will list those public bodies which are the responsibility of his Department and which are not listed in Public Bodies 2000.

Lewis Moonie: Public Bodies 2000 sets out information on Non Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs), certain public corporations (including nationalised industries) and NHS bodies. There are four types of NDPB: executive NDPBs; advisory NDPBs; tribunal NDPBs; and boards of visitors to penal establishments. The next edition will be published around the end of the year. Information about taskforces, annual reports and ad hoc advisory groups is set out in an annual report published by the Cabinet Office. Copies of Public Bodies 2000 are in the Library of the House and may be accessed via Cabinet Office's website: http://www.official-documents.co.uk/document/ caboff/pb00/pb00.htm. Copies of the annual report on taskforces and similar bodies have also been placed in the Library of the House and the report is being made available on Cabinet Office's website.
	The Ministry of Defence currently sponsors 33 Non Departmental Public Bodies (seven executive NDPBs and 26 advisory NDPBs):
	Executive NDPBs
	Fleet Air Arm Museum
	National Army Museum
	Oil & Pipelines Agency
	RAF Museum
	Royal Marines Museum
	Royal Naval Museum
	Royal Navy Submarine Museum
	Advisory NDPBs
	Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors 1
	Advisory Group on Medical Countermeasures
	Animal Welfare Advisory Committee
	Armed Forces Pay Review Body
	Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions
	Dartmoor Steering Group (jointly sponsored with DEFRA)
	Defence Nuclear Safety Committee
	Defence Scientific Advisory Council
	Independent Board of Visitors for the Military Corrective Training Centre
	National Employers Liaison Committee
	Review Board for Government Contracts
	Royal Military College of Science Advisory Council
	Nuclear Research Advisory Committee
	War Pensions Committees (13 separate committees)
	1 Appointments to the ACCO are made by the Lord Chancellor
	The MOD currently sponsors the following reviews/ task forces:
	Depleted Uranium Oversight Board
	Independent Panel on Vaccines Interaction Research
	Services Families' Task Force.
	In addition, the MOD also has a small number of bodies that involve significant membership from outside the civil service, but which are not classified as NDPBs or reviews/taskforces. These are:
	The Navy Army Air Force Institute (NAAFI)
	Two "ethnics" committees (to provide oversight of defence research)
	The Historic Buildings Advisory Group.
	NAAFI and the ethnics committees are currently being reviewed to determine whether they should be re-classified as NDPBs.

Ex Gratia Pension Payments

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make ex gratia pension payments to non-commissioned members of the armed forces who served prior to 1975 and did less than 22 years service.

Lewis Moonie: No. Priory to April 1975, there was no legal requirement for any public or private sector pension scheme to preserve pension rights for those who left service before reaching the normal retirement age. However, in the armed forces a pension could be paid after 22 years' reckonable service (16 years' reckonable service in the case of officers). Engagements for shorter periods were on non-pensionable terms, though gratuities were awarded to those who served less than the 22 years but had completed 12 years' reckonable service (nine years' in the case of officers). Most public and private sector pension schemes offered lesser benefits.

September 11

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the major changes in the Strategic Defence Review following (a) 11 September and (b) the campaign against international terrorism; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Blaby (Mr. Robathan) on 29 October 2001, Official Report, column 509W.

Commonwealth War Graves

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of Commonwealth war graves in France in relation to the construction of the proposed new airport at Chaulnes.

Lewis Moonie: The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), which has the responsibility for the maintenance of the graves of all British and Commonwealth troops who died during the two world wars and the memorials to those who have no known grave, has asked the French Government to provide more details about the proposals.
	If the proposals do appear to affect war graves cemeteries containing British and Commonwealth graves, the CWGC will firmly resist any plans to disturb the war dead.

Gibraltar

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what joint exercises have been held between UK and Spanish forces over the past five years; which have used facilities at Gibraltar; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The following exercises have been held between UK and Spanish forces over the past five years. None have used facilities at Gibraltar.
	
		
			 Exercise name Date Description 
		
		
			 Britannia Way/Iberian Focus September 1997 Infantry company exchange exercise 
			 Tapon 1998 June 1998 Maritime exercise 
			 Britannia Way/Iberian Focus September 1998 Infantry company exchange exercise 
			 Tapon 1999 June 1999 Maritime exercise 
			 Alcudra July 1999 Maritime exercise 
			 Britannia Way/Iberian Focus September 1999 Infantry company exchange exercise 
			 Britannia Way/Iberian Focus September 2000 Infantry company exchange exercise 
			 Acrobatic Sapper September 2000 Engineer exercise

Gibraltar

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what UK forces visited Gibraltar (a) on their way to and (b) returning from (i) Exercise Saif Sareea and (ii) Operation Veritas; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The following UK forces visited Gibraltar on their outwards journey to the Middle East:
	Exercise Saif Sareea: RFA Oakleaf; HMS Ocean with elements of 40 Commando embarked; and elements of 845 and 847 Squadrons.
	Operation Veritas: RFA Brambleleaf.
	On the return journey from the Middle East, as of 21 November, the following UK forces have visited Gibraltar:
	Exercise Saif Sareea: RFA Fort Austin.
	Operation Veritas: None.

Gibraltar

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what UK forces are deployed in Gibraltar; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The UK retains a sizeable defence presence on Gibraltar, key elements of which are the Gibraltar regiment (staffed predominantly by Gibraltarians), the Gibraltar Squadron (which includes two coastal patrol vessels and two rigid hull inflatable boats) and the detachment at RAF Gibraltar, as well as Headquarters and support units. There are currently a total of around 427 UK-based military personnel deployed to Gibraltar.

RAF Halton

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 19 November 2001, Official Report, column 20W, on the Defence Estates, Aylesbury, which Government accounting rules require him to dispose of surplus sites as quickly as possible.

Lewis Moonie: I refer the hon. Member to Chapter 24 of paragraph 24.2.1 of Government Accounting, which outlines Treasury policy on the Disposal of Surplus Government Assets.

MOD Police

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been received from the US authorities towards the costs of MOD police activities in the financial year 2000–01.

Lewis Moonie: The financial arrangements governing the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) presence at Ministry of Defence establishments made available to the US are covered by a Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and US Governments.
	The total amount received from the US authorities towards the cost of MDP policing bases made available to the US authorities during the financial year 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001 was £5.497 million.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Special Advisers and Press Officers

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) special advisers and (b) press officers were employed (i) full-time, (ii) part-time and (iii) on a contract basis by her Department in each year since 1992.

Patricia Hewitt: (a) I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office to the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Mr. Salmond) on 21 November 2001, Official Report, column 340W.
	(b) The number of Press Officers (all full-time) is given in the table:
	
		
			  As at 1 March  
		
		
			 1995 15 
			 1996 17 
			 1997 17 
			 1998 17 
			 1999 24 
			 2000 (24)21 
			 2001 (24)21 
			 1 September 2001 (25)23 
		
	
	(24) Includes one contract press officer.
	(25) Includes two contract press officers.
	Note:
	Information from earlier years is not available.

Hepatitis C

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will name the (a) grants and (b) laboratories awarded Medical Research Council funds for research into hepatitis C in the last five years; and what the amounts were in each case.

Patricia Hewitt: Over the last five years, the MRC has made new awards for research into hepatitis C for four projects at two MRC units and has also funded 10 projects at universities or other institutes. Details are provided in the table.
	
		
			  Host institution  Title Amount awarded (£000)  Period 
		
		
			 University of Leeds Functional analysis of the hepatitis C virus non-structural proteins 271 January 1999 to January 2002 
			 UMIST Oxidative stress and anti-oxidants associated with hepatitis C virus infections 302 January 2001 to January 2004 
			 Imperial College of Science Tech and Med Functional imaging of diffuse liver disease: can it predict progression to cirrhosis? 516 December 1999 to November 2004 
			 University of Southampton T lymphocyte and Hepatic Stellate Cell interactions in chronic hepatitis C 179 October 2000 to September 2003 
			 University of Leeds Structure and function of the P7 protein of hepatitis C virus 153 April 2001 to April 2004 
			 University of Glasgow Development of a system to study hepatitis C virus replication 287 December 1998 to December 2001 
			 UMIST Mechanisms and Regulation of RNA Function in Gene Expression 350 June 2001 to May 2004 
			 University of Warwick Treatment of persistent virus infections by gene therapy 50 May 1999 to May 2000 
			 University of Nottingham MHC-tetramer binding analysis of human HCV-specific CD8 positive liver-derived and peripheral blood T cells 123 February 1999 to January 2001 
			 Institute of Child Health (London) Epidemiology and surveillance based on anonymous neonatal testing with data linkage 108 October 1996 to June 1998 
			 MRC Biostatistics Unit Statistical modelling of HIV and hepatitis C progression: incubation period immunological and other markers and HLA phenotyne 145 FY 1995–96 to 1997–98 
			 MRC Virology Unit Hepatitis C; protein crystallography; HSV and bunyavirus suppressor mutations 590 FY 1995–96 to 1997–98 
			 MRC Virology Unit Analysis of the structure and function of hepatitis C virus proteins 371 FY 1998–99 to 2000–01 
			 MRC Virology Unit The basis of host range and tissue tropism for hepatitis viruses 557 FY 1998–99 to 2000–01

Supermarkets

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what mechanisms she has put in place to ensure that individual farmers and other food suppliers are protected from the effects of purchasing practices of large supermarkets;
	(2)  what recent discussions she has had with farmers and agricultural industry representatives regarding her Department's Code of Practice for supermarkets engaged in purchase policies with farmers and farmers' groups.

Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South-East Cornwall (Mr. Breed) on 9 November 2001, Official Report, column 442W.

Post Delivery (Bexhill)

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she will take to tackle the problems with the postal delivery service in Bexhill.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 20 November 2001
	The Government have established an independent regulatory body, the Postal Services Commission, whose responsibilities include setting and enforcing standards of service for Consignia, and a Consumer Council for Postal Services, Postwatch, with powers to investigate customer complaints. I will draw the hon. Member's concern about the postal delivery service in Bexhill to the attention of these two bodies.

Fireworks

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will introduce plans to ban the sale of fireworks to the general public.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 20 November 2001
	We have no plans to ban the sale of fireworks to the general public.

Fireworks

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action her Department is taking to restrict the sale of those category 3 fireworks which cause excessive noise pollution.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 20 November 2001
	The Fireworks (Safety) Regulations 1997 prohibit from sale to the public several types of noisy category 3 fireworks such as aerial shells and restrict the size of others. We will, of course, consider any representations that are made.

Wind Farms

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the operational wind farm sites in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland, giving their output in kilowatt hours.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 20 November 2001
	The list provided is based on the best available information but it may not be wholly accurate, up-to-date or comprehensive. Very small projects (below 50 kilowatts installed capacity) are excluded.
	Output for individual wind farm sites cannot be given for reasons of commercial sensitivity, but the table provides the installed capacity of each wind farm in kilowatts.
	
		Operating wind farms in the UK
		
			  Site name  Location Farm installed capacity (kW) 
		
		
			 (a) Scotland   
			 Beinn Ghlas Barguillean, Taynuilt, Argyll 8,400 
			 Hagshaw Hill Hazelside, Douglas, Lanarkshire 15,600 
			 Novar (Bendealt) Bendealt, Novar Estates, Evanton, Easter Ross, Highlands 9,000 
			 Novar (Meall an Tuirc) Meall an Tuirc, Novar Estates, Evanton, Easter Ross, Highlands 8,000 
			 Windy Standard (Gallow Rig) Windy Standard, Carsphairn, Gallow Rig, Kirkcudbrightshire, Dumfries and Galloway 10,800 
			 Windy Standard (Polwhat Rig) Windy Standard, Carsphairn, Gallow Rig, Kirkcudbrightshire, Dumfries and Galloway 10,800 
			 Dun Law Oxton, Lammermuir 17,160 
			 Burgar Hill Evie, Orkney 1,300 
			 Burradale Lerwick, Shetland 1,980 
			 Thorfin Evie, Orkney 2,000 
			 Benbecula — 50 
			 Berriedale Caithness 75 
			 Castle Hill Lothian 700 
			 Fair Isle Shetland 60 
			 Fair Isle Shetland 100 
			 Findhorn Forees, Morayshire 75 
			 Hare Hill Ayrshire 13,000 
			 Inganess Bay Kirkwall, Orkney 75 
			 Island of Foula Shetland 60 
			 Lanarkshire Lanarkshire 50 
			 Rothienorman Grampian 60 
			 Scalloway Shetland 60 
			 Susetter Hill Shetland 750 
			 Thorfin Evie, Orkney 1,500 
			 Westertown Aberdeenshire 60 
			 White Rashes Aberdeenshire 60 
			
			 (b) England:   
			 Chelker Skipton Road, Addingham, Ilkley, West Yorkshire 1,200 
			 Deli (Delibole) Nr. Delabole, Cornwall 4,000 
			 Kings Bush Farm Godmanchester, Huntingdon, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire 225 
			 Kirkby Moor Nr. Ulverston, Cumbria 4,800 
			 Ovenden (Thornton) Oxenhope, Keighley, Denholme, West Yorkshire 9,200 
			 Blood Hill Winterton-on-Sea, Norfolk 2,250 
			 Blyth Harbour Northumberland 2,700 
			 Carland Cross Mitchell, Cornwall 6,000 
			 Caton Moor Lancaster, Lancashire 3,000 
			 Coal Clough Farm Cornholme, West Yorkshire 9,600 
			 Cold Northcott Launceston, Cornwall 6,300 
			   500 
			 Four Burrows Blackwater, Truro, Cornwall 4,500 
			 Goonhilly Downs Cury, Helston, Cornwall 5,600 
			 Haverigg I Kirkstanston Airfield, Millon, Cumbria 1,125 
			 J Stobbard and Sons Wigton, Cumbria 200 
			   400 
			 Naylor Hill Quarry Howarth, Keighley, West Yorkshire 225 
			 Royd Moor Farm Thurlstone, Penistone, South Yorkshire 5,850 
			 St. Breock St. Breock Downs, Cornwall 4,950 
			 St. Mary's Road Ramsey, Cambridgeshire 250 
			 West Beacon Farm Woodhouse Eaves, Loughborough, Leicestershire 50 
			 Great Eppleton Farm North Lane, Hetton Le Hole, Tyne and Wear 3,000 
			 Harlock Hill Pennington, Nr. Ulverston, Cumbria 2,500 
			 Haverigg II (Kirkstanton Airfield) Hemplands Farm, Haverigg, Nr. Millom, Cumbria 2,400 
			 Lynch Knoll Partfield Farm, Tinkley Lane, Nympsfield, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire 500 
			 Great Orton Nr. Carlisle, Cumbria (replanting of NFFO 2 Orton Airport scheme) 2,640 
			 Royal Seaforth Dock Port of Liverpool, Bootle, Sefton, Merseyside 3,600 
			 Askam (Far Old Park Farm) Ireleth, Askam-in-Furness, Cumbria 4,620 
			 Bears Down St. Colomb, Cornwall 9,600 
			 Lowca Nr. Workington, Cumbria 4,620 
			 Oldside Workington, Cumbria 5,400 
			 Siddick Workington, Cumbria 4,200 
			 Ecotech Centre Swaffham, Norfolk 1,500 
			 Somerton (Blood Hill) Great Yarmouth 1,500 
			 Kirkheaton West Farm, Kirkheaton, Northumberland 1,800 
			 Blyth Harbour offshore Northumberland 1,800 
			 Lambrigg Nr. Kendall 6,500 
			 Great Orton Nr. Carlisle, Cumbria (replanting of NFFO 2 Orton Airport scheme) 1,320 
			 Winscales (East Town End Farm) Egremont, Cumbria 1,980 
			 Blyth Harbour offshore Northumberland 2,000 
			 Cassop School County Durham 50 
			 Faccombe Andover, Hampshire 300 
			 Helston Cornwall 150 
			 Hexham Northumberland 50 
			 Holm Firth Huddersfield 75 
			 Jarrow Eco Office Tyne and Wear 80 
			 Wansbeck Hospital Ashington, Northumberland 100 
			 Weaverthorpe Malton, North Yorkshire 80 
			 Wollaston School London 50 
			
			 (c) Wales:   
			 Bryn Titli (Marchi) Rhayader, Powys 9,900 
			 Dyffryn-Brodyn Blaenwaun, Whitland, Dyfed 5,500 
			 Llangwyryfon Dyfed 6,000 
			 Llidiartywaun (combined with Penrhyddlan) Llandinam, Powys 18,000 
			 Penrhyddlan (combined with Llydiartywaun) Llandinam, Powys 12,900 
			 Rhyd-y-Groes Rhosgoch, Anglesey, Gwynedd 7,200 
			 Taff-Ely Mid Glamorgan 9,000 
			 Center for Alternative Technology (Mynydd Glandulas) Pantperthog, Machynlleth, Powys 600 
			 Hafotty Ucha Cerrigydrudion, Clwyd 600 
			 Parc Cynog Pendine, Carmarthenshire 3,600 
			 Rheidol Banc Bwa Drain, Goginan, Aberystwyth, Dyfed 2,400 
			 Carno A Cwn Cledan, Carno, Powys 16,800 
			 Carno B Trannon Moor, Carno, Powys 16,800 
			 Llanbabo Llyn Alaw, Anglesey, Gwynedd 20,400 
			 Mynydd Gorddu Elerch, Tal-y-Bont, Ceredigion, Dyfed 4,200 
			   6,000 
			 Trysglwyn Trysglwyn Fawr, Rhosbol, Anglesey, Gwynedd 5,600 
			
			 (d) Northern Ireland:   
			 Bessy Bell Baronscourt Estate, Newton Stewart, Omagh, County Tyrone 5,000 
			 Corkey Slievenahanaghen Mountain, Corkey Road, Clough Mills, Country Antrim 5,000 
			 Elliot's Hill Elliot's Hill, Tildarg, Nr. Ballyclare, County Antrim 5,000 
			 Owenreagh Craignagapple, Nr. Stravane, County Tyrone 5,000 
			 Rigged Hill Nr. Limavady, County Londonderry 5,000 
			 Slieve Rushen Derrylin, Nr. Enniskillen, County Fermanagh 5,000 
			 Lendrum's Bridge Fivemiletown, County Tyrone 5,280 
			 Slievenabanaghan Reservoir Road, Corkey South, Loughguile, County Antrim 1,000 
			 Rathlin Island  99 
			 Lendrum's Bridge Fivemiletown, County Tyrone 660

Wind Farms

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the proposed wind farm sites awaiting planning permission in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland, giving their predicted output in kilowatt hours.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 20 November 2001
	The following list provided is based on the best available information, but it may not be wholly accurate, up-to-date or comprehensive. In particular, some of the wind farm applications shown may have been withdrawn, rejected or approved. There are also schemes in preparation, both onshore and offshore, where planning permission has not yet been sought.
	Information on predicted output of the proposed wind farms has not been collected, but the table shows the capacity of each wind farm in megawatts (MW) declared net capacity.
	In addition, planning consents for the following proposed larger wind farms over 50 MW installed capacity are being sought under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. Figures are given for the proposed installed capacity of these wind farms.
	Scotland:
	Paul's Hill, Morayshire—56MW
	Cairn Uish, Morayshire—56MW
	England:
	Scroby Sands, Norfolk (offshore)—75MW
	Wales:
	Cefn Croes, Ceredigion—60MW
	Northern Ireland:
	None.
	
		Proposed wind farms awaiting planning permission(26)
		
			 Site name Site address Capacity MW DNC 
		
		
			 Scotland   
			 Causey Mire — 17.2 
			 Penbreck & Carmacoup Forest Penbreck & Carmacoup Forest, Near Glespin 11.61 
			 An Suidhe Between Loch Awe and Loch Fyne 6.17 
			 Eredine Forest On the eastern shore of Loch Awe 6.17 
			 Meikle Carewe Rickarton Farms, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire 5.74 
			 Meall Mhor Wind Farm Kintarbert, Argyll 0.96 
			 Hill of Lybster Forss, Caithness 0.85 
			 Little Kilmain (Benquhat Hill) East Ayrshire 0.75 
			 Little Kilmain (Benquhat Hill) East Ayrshire 3.763 
			
			 England   
			 Brundish Wind Turbine, Norfolk East of Brundish Road, Stockton, Norfolk 0.63 
			 Wharrels Hill Wind Farm, Cumbria Wharrels Hill, Bothel, Cumbria 4.04 
			 Stockton Wind Turbine, Norfolk East of Layden Lane, Track, Norwich, Norfolk 0.63 
			 Forestmoor Wind Project Stowford Cross, Bradworthy, Devon 0.76 
			 Coldham Cws Coldham Estate, March, Cambridgeshire 0.843 
			 Darcey Load (formerly Sears) Sears Farm, Manea, Cambridgeshire 0.843 
			 Honey Hill Honey Hill Farm, Chatteris, Cambridgeshire 0.843 
			 The Old Racecourse Bratton Fleming, North Devon 0.947 
			 Hore Down Windfarm Ilfracombe, North Devon 0.947 
			 Windmill Hill Tinkley Lane, Stonehouse, Gloucestershire 0.632 
			 Mablethorpe STW Mile Road, Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire 0.25 
			 Wales   
			 Mynydd Yr Hendre Wind Farm, Powys (now known as Cwm Llwyd) Mynydd Yr Hendre Cefn Coch Newton Powys 12.492 
			 Mynydd Clogau Wind Farm Mynydd Clogau, Mynydd Bwrch-y-gors and Mynydd Cerrigllwydion, near Adfa, Newtown, Powys 4.253 
			 Gelligaer 'A' Wind Farm Mynydd Fochriw, Fochriw, Mid Glamorgan 4.214 
			 Gelligaer 'B' Wind Farm, Mid Glamorgan Mynydd Fochriw, Fochriw, Mid Glamorgan 4.214 
			 Nant Carfan Wind Farm, Powys Machynlleth, Powys 8.951 
			 Cefn Croes Wind Farm, Ceredigion Canolbarth Forest Devils Bridge Ceredigion 16.55 
			 Tir Mostyn and Foel Goch Wind Farm Nantglyn, Denbighshire 9.14 
			 Llethercynnon Farm Wind Farm Nr. Garthbrengy, Powys, Wales 3.04 
			 Fforch Nant Y Moel, Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan 0.937 
			 Hirddywell Windfarm Southwest Of Newtown, Nr. Llangurig, Powys 6.38 
			 Bryn Du Bryn Du Hills, South of A44 at Pont Rydgaled, Powys (LLangurig area) 7.059 
			
			 Northern Ireland   
			 Lough Hill — 3.44 
			 Garrane — 7.525 
			 Callegheen — 5.59 
		
	
	(26) Information as supplied September 2001

Aerospace Industry

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the downturn in the aerospace industry since 11 September.

Brian Wilson: Officials in the Department of Trade and Industry remain in close contact with the UK aviation industry in co-operation with the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions.
	The Government remain in close contact with the aerospace industry, as we are with other sectors, and with the trade associations in order to understand and evaluate the effect of the events of 11 September. It remains too early to say what will be the effect on the aerospace industry. When the impact has been fully assessed, we will be in a position to consider how best Government and the aerospace industry can work together to ensure a successful future for the industry.

Westinghouse

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which division of Westinghouse is now a part of BNFL.

Brian Wilson: In March 1999 BNFL and Morrison Knudsen (MK) completed the joint acquisition of CBS's US nuclear services company, Westinghouse. The Westinghouse acquisition comprised two businesses: Energy Systems—which provided nuclear products and services in the US and internationally, and Government and Environmental Services—which managed and operated environmental clean-up programmes for the US Department of Energy and provided services to the US Department of Defense.
	A new structure for Westinghouse was agreed; BNFL became a 100 per cent. owner of the Energy Systems business (renamed Westinghouse Electric Company), took a 40 per cent. economic interest in the 100 per cent. MK owned defence related portion of Government Services (renamed Westinghouse Government Services Company) and 40 per cent. ownership of the non-defence related Government Services business (renamed Westinghouse Government Environmental Services Company), with MK owning the remaining 60 per cent.

Energy Industry

Jonathan Sayeed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the effect of deregulation and privatisation of the energy industry.

Brian Wilson: The Government's central energy policy objective is to ensure secure, diverse and sustainable energy supplies at competitive prices. They consider that competitive markets and companies are the key to achieving this. Government's role is to set the right framework and to deal with issues that the market alone, as it emerged following energy privatisations, may be unable to address. The Government have, therefore, provided the appropriate legal framework for competitive energy markets and the economic development of Britain's energy resources consistent with safety and environmental protection. They have also further modernised the framework of energy regulation through the Utilities Act 2000 to give primary importance to protecting the interests of consumers, while minimising the regulatory burden on industry wherever possible.

Gas Transportation Tariffs

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has made to (a) Ofgem and (b) Centrica plc concerning the gas transportation tariffs in the United Kingdom, with particular reference to their effect on Northern Ireland.

Brian Wilson: In Great Britain gas transportation tariffs are levied by Transco and regulated by Ofgem through licence conditions (including the licence condition relating to the price control). Ofgem recently consulted on proposals for the price control for the period from 2002–07. While the Department has had discussions with Ofgem about its proposals we have made no specific representations regarding transportation tariffs.
	Gas is supplied to Northern Ireland under a contract between Centrica plc and Phoenix Natural Gas plc, the main gas supplier in Northern Ireland. Like all other shippers who use Transco's system, Centrica pay gas transportation tariffs and I understand that the level of these charges is reflected in the price Centrica charges customers such as Phoenix. This is however a commercial matter.

Centrica plc

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she last met the Managing Director of CEMG, Centrica plc; and what was discussed.

Brian Wilson: My ministerial colleagues and I meet representatives of Centrica plc from time to time to discuss a range of current energy matters.
	Most recently my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry met senior management from Centrica on 19 November and I am due to meet representatives from Centrica on 6 December.

Economic Development Zone (Lancaster)

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what concerns were identified as part of the EOI Review about Lancaster city council's priority 3 economic development zone bid.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 21 November 2001
	Lancaster's "expression of interest" (EOI) in an Economic Development Zone (EDZ) under the North West's Objective 2 Programme for 2000–06 was assessed as high priority and has since resulted in a fully detailed bid for EDZ status and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funding. The independent consultants who appraised the EOIs met with Lancaster in October to discuss a range of issues around the nature of activity proposed in the EDZ, the scale of support needed and funding profiles.

Online Trading

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many small businesses trade online in the constituency of East Devon.

Douglas Alexander: The International Benchmarking Study, which measures the number of businesses trading online, measures trading online at the level of the region but not of the constituency. A copy of the 2001 study is available from the Libraries of the House.

Clean Coal Technology

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total level of investment, in real terms, has been into research into clean coal technology from her Department since 1997.

Brian Wilson: The table shows levels of investment into research into clean coal technology both in actual money of the day and at constant 1995 prices using the GDP deflator.
	
		£ million 
		
			 Year Actual At constant 1995 prices 
		
		
			 1996–97 7.4 7.1 
			 1997–98 4.1 3.8 
			 1998–99 3.4 3.1 
			 1999–2000 2.9 2.6 
			 2000–01 2.6 2.3 
			 2001–02(27) 4.9 4.2 
			 2002–03(27) 8.4 7.0 
			 2003–04(27) 8.4 6.8 
		
	
	(27) Budget

Local Government Finance

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much of her Department's allocation was spent in the constituency of East Devon (a) in real terms and (b) as a percentage of the total budget in the last financial year.

Patricia Hewitt: The DTI does not hold centrally information on resources spent in particular constituencies. To provide the information requested for most departmental programmes and schemes would require individual examination of a large number of individual cases, which would incur disproportionate cost. It would also raise problems of definition: some expenditure for example supports firms or organisations operating on a national basis. Information on expenditure at constituency level is however available for two departmental schemes and programmes.
	1. Government Office South West advise that in 2000–01 £32,753.25 was paid out under the SMART scheme in East Devon (0.14 per cent. of total SMART expenditure and 0.002 per cent. of the Department's total Trade and Industry budget as voted by Parliament).
	2. There were no applications for Enterprise Grants—and hence no expenditure—in East Devon in 2000–01. Departmental expenditure on Enterprise Grants in 2000–01 was £3.6 million.

Steel Imports

Richard Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with (a) the UK steel industry, (b) the European Commission and (c) the US Government, concerning tariffs on steel imports into the USA.

Brian Wilson: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry met with representatives of the Iron and Steel Trade Confederation on 18 October and with representatives of Corus on 29 October when issues surrounding international trade in steel were discussed. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and my noble Friend Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean also raised the issue at a high level with the US Administration when they visited the US in July. The Government remain concerned at the prospect of US unilateral action under Section 201 of the Trade Act 1974 which would severely disrupt international trade in steel and damage UK steel manufacturing and employment interests. We support the view that Commissioner Lamy has expressed: the cost of restructuring the US steel industry should not be shifted on to the rest of the world. The appropriate way to address global steel trade issues is through multilateral discussion.

Regulatory Impact Assessments

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what were the gross costs of the regulatory impact assessment for (a) the Weights and Measures (Intoxicating Liquor) (Amendment) Order 2001 and the Measuring Equipment (Capacity Measures) (Amendment) Regulations 2001, (b) the Unit of Measurement Regulations 2001, (c) the Weights and Measures (Metrication Amendment) Regulations 2001, (d) the Offshore Combustion Installation (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Regulations 2001 and (e) the Company Business Names (Amendment) Regulations 2001;
	(2)  what were the gross costs of the regulatory impact assessment for (a) the Shop Now Orders (EC Directive) Regulations 2001, (b) the Offshore Petroleum Activities (Conservation of Habitats) Regulations 2001, (c) the Noise Emission in the Environment by Equipment for Use Outdoors Regulations 2001 and (d) the Wireless Telegraphy (Licence Charges) (Amendment) Regulations 2001;
	(3)  what were the gross cost of the regulatory impact assessment for (a) the Part-time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2001, (b) the Merger (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2001, (c) the Employment Tribunals (Constitution and Rule of Procedure) Regulations 2001, (d) the Measuring Equipment (Cold-water Meters) (Amendment) Regulation 2001 and (e) the Wireless Telegraphy (Exemption) (Amendment) Regulations 2001.

Patricia Hewitt: These costs are shown in the published regulatory impact assessments which are in the Libraries of the House.

Miners' Compensation

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made to resolve the potential liability for compensation to those who suffered injury from dust from working in surface areas in the mining industry; and if she will make a statement.

Brian Wilson: The Department's initial proposals for handling surface only claims under the Claims Handling Agreement (CHA), put to the Claimants' Solicitors Co-ordinating Group (CG) in July 2000, were rejected. To move matters forward, the Department and the CG have carried out a joint study of the impact of surface dust on surface only workers. The Department has proposed that the parties' medical experts should meet in December to discuss their findings. Their conclusions will help to inform the way forward. Offers are already being made to 'mixed' claimants (who worked both underground and in surface dusty occupations) with the agreement of the CG.

World Trade

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with her counterparts in other nations represented at the World Trade Organisation mechanisms on reviewing the delivery of promised improvements to developing countries in (a) previous and (b) the current WTO rounds.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 22 November 2001
	I refer to my statement to the House, reporting on the successful outcome of the WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha, on 15 November 2001, Official Report, columns 997–1008.
	As well as agreeing a Ministerial Declaration launching a development-focused trade round, which we believe offers the best route for the developing world to escape from poverty, the WTO Ministerial Conference also agreed a Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns addressing many of the concerns raised by developing countries over the operation of existing WTO Agreements and, as part of the Ministerial Declaration itself, agreed that other outstanding concerns should be addressed as a matter of priority.

Fair Trade

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the value of fairly traded (a) tea and (b) coffee used in her Department in each of the last five years.

Douglas Alexander: I can answer only in respect of coffee supplied to the Department's preferred catering supplier over the last two years; further information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	
		£000 
		
			 Year Value 
		
		
			 2000 15 
			 2001(28) 31 
		
	
	(28) To date

Nuclear Installations

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate has set up a special group to look at the question of security at nuclear power stations and nuclear installations following the events of 11 September.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 22 November 2001
	My officials have consulted the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate as the safety regulator, and are working closely with the industry to review safety and security at civil nuclear facilities in the light of the attacks in the United States on 11 September.

Nuclear Installations

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate have received in relation to security at nuclear installations following the events of 11 September.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 22 November 2001
	Security at licensed nuclear sites is regulated by the Office for Civil Nuclear Security, the independent security regulator within the Department. The Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate is the independent nuclear safety regulator. All inquiries to Government organisations relating to security at nuclear installations are referred to the DTI. My officials and I have received a number of representations from hon. Members on behalf of their constituents, from the public, and from the nuclear industry in relation to security at nuclear installations.

Nuclear Installations

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she has instructed the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate to consider the security at nuclear installations following the incidents on 11 September.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 22 November 2001
	Ensuring UK civil nuclear installations comply with security regulations is the responsibility of the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS), the security regulators. OCNS works closely with the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII), the safety regulator. Both regulators are working together to review all relevant precautions in the light of the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11 September.

Telecom Services

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has made to (a) Oftel and (b) BT regarding transfer of existing telephone numbers from former customers of Atlantic Telecom to BT lines.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 22 November 2001
	I have discussed with the Director General of Telecommunications the issues faced by the customers of Atlantic Telecom. I have also raised this directly with the Chief Executive of BT. A number of options were discussed with the administrators and we are actively pursuing all possible solutions to minimise disruption to Atlantic subscribers. My officials and Oftel are taking these issues forward with BT.

Electricity Generation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the total cost of electricity generation by (a) gas, (b) coal and (c) nuclear is accounted for by the primary fuel source in the latest year for which figures are available.

Brian Wilson: The Department does not publish statistics relating to the cost of fuel as a proportion of the total cost of generating electricity. However, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and International Energy Agency (IEA) periodically undertake comparative studies of the projected costs of baseload electricity generation in different countries. The most recent study was published in 1998, which forecast the generating costs of various technologies and plant types that could be commissioned by 2005–10.
	As a share of the total cost of generation, the latest comparative study estimated the following figures:
	
		
			 Fuel Type Percentage share of total cost 
		
		
			 Gas 64 
			 Coal 36 
			 Nuclear 12 
		
	
	Source:
	Pages 68–69, table 16, Projected Costs of Generating Electricity—Update 1998 (NEA and IEA). Figures in the table refer to the percentage shares of levelised costs at 10 per cent. discount rate and are averages of least expensive plant options in each country surveyed.

Space Technology Sector

John McWilliam: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the economic importance of the UK space technology sector in terms of (a) the extent to which it can help the UK's manufacturing industry develop export markets, (b) the extent to which it can help the United Kingdom manufacturing industry create jobs and (c) the impact of her Department's assessment on the United Kingdom's decision to provide funds to support the Galileo project; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The United Kingdom's space technology is world class in a number of areas including telecommunications payloads, small satellites and synthetic aperture radar. About two thirds of UK space industry turnover results from export business. Latest published figures show that approximately 6,000 people are employed directly in space activities, without taking into account employment in those sectors which are reliant on satellite based services. The size and health of the UK space industry is currently being surveyed by the British National Space Centre and the results should be published early in 2002.
	The Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions is the lead department on Galileo. My Department has been working closely with them, and others in Whitehall, to develop the United Kingdom's position on Galileo.

Railtrack

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which (a) local authorities, (b) privatised industries and (c) pension funds held shares in Railtrack prior to the company being taken into administration; and how many shares were held by each.

David Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
	My Department does not hold this information.

Aggregates Levy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what amount of pre-cast concrete products was supplied to Great Britain from Northern Ireland by weight in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what assessment she has made of the likely change in this figure following the introduction of the aggregates levy.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	No such figures are available.

Profitability

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the level of profitability of United Kingdom industry was (a) in total for the last 12 months, (b) per quarter since 1997 and (c) by region in each year since 1997.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Hugo Swire, dated 26 November 2001
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the level of profitability of United Kingdom industry (17280).
	A First Release of the Profitability of UK Companies was published by the Office for National Statistics on 5 October 2001 and is available on the National Statistics website (www.statistics.gov.uk). This release covers UK Private Non-Financial Companies and gives quarterly data from 1989 to the second quarter of 2001.
	Profitability data is not available on a regional basis.

Manufacturing Jobs

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) management and (b) shop floor jobs in manufacturing have been lost in (i) Lancashire and (ii) the United Kingdom in each of the last three years.

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Lindsay Hoyle, dated 26 November 2001
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about job losses in manufacturing in Lancashire and the United Kingdom. (16720).
	The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides estimates of the numbers of people employed in manufacturing in Lancashire and the United Kingdom. The LFS does not classify occupations in terms of 'management' and 'shopfloor'. However, it does provide estimates of the numbers of people employed in manufacturing by social class based on occupation (formerly known as Registrar General's Social Class), up to and including winter (December to February) 2000–01.
	The attached table gives the LFS estimates of the numbers of people employed in manufacturing in Lancashire and the United Kingdom for winter (December to February) 1997–98 to winter (December to February) 2000–01 by social class.
	
		All persons employed in manufacturing(29) by social class; United Kingdom and Lancashire; winter (December to February) 1997–98 to winter (December to February) 2000–01; not seasonally adjusted -- Thousand
		
			   Winter  
			  1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 
		
		
			 United Kingdom 
			 All persons employed in manufacturing(30) 5,006 4,959 4,806 4,614 
			 Professional, intermediate and skilled non-manual occupations 2,078 2,080 2,034 1,965 
			 Skilled manual, partly skilled and unskilled occupations 2,916 2,868 2,760 2,636 
			  
			 Lancashire 
			 All persons employed in manufacturing(30) 120 112 129 117 
			 Professional, intermediate and skilled non-manual occupations 45 47 53 43 
			 Skilled manual, partly skilled and unskilled occupations 75 65 75 73 
		
	
	(29) Standard Industrial Classification 1992 sector D: Manufacturing
	(30) Includes people who did not state their occupation
	Source:
	ONS Labour Force Survey

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Energy Efficiency

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many households in the Isle of Wight have benefited from the (a) Home Energy Efficiency Scheme and (b) HEES Plus since 1 June.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 19 November 2001
	The home energy efficiency scheme (HEES) was launched on 1 June 2000. It is managed by two scheme managers, Eaga Partnership and TXU Warm Front Ltd., and offers two levels of grant:
	HEES—£1,000 for households with children under 16 and in receipt of an income-related, disability or long-term illness benefit.
	HEES Plus—£2,000 for over-60s in receipt of an income-related benefit.
	The table shows the number of householders, on the Isle of Wight, who have benefited from either a HEES or HEES Plus grant since the launch of the scheme on 1 June 2000.
	
		
			  HEES Isle of Wight householders who have received help 
		
		
			 Householders 660 
			 Plus householders 590

Energy Efficiency

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints have been received in (a) England, (b) the South East and (c) the Isle of Wight in respect of work carried out in the home energy efficiency scheme.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 19 November 2001
	Over 250,000 householders have been assisted since the launch of the home energy efficiency scheme (HEES) on 1 June 2000. The table shows the number of complaints received by the scheme managers, Eaga Partnership and TXU Warm Front Ltd., concerning work carried out either in respect of workmanship or faulty equipment. The total number of complaints is 4,700.
	
		
			  Complaints received concerning work carried out Percentage of total number of householders completed since 1 June 2000 
		
		
			 England 1,400 0.5 
			 South East 220 0.08 
			 Isle of Wight 11 0.004

Energy Efficiency

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many households have made a financial contribution to work carried out under the home energy efficiency scheme since 1 June.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 19 November 2001
	The home energy efficiency scheme (HEES) was launched on 1 June 2000. It is managed by two scheme managers, Eaga Partnership and TXU Warm Front Ltd., and offers two levels of grant:
	HEES—£1,000 for households with children under 16 and in receipt of an income-related, disability or long-term illness benefit.
	HEES Plus—£2,000 for over-60s in receipt of an income-related benefit.
	Where the grant is insufficient to meet the full cost of work the appointed scheme manager will attempt to obtain contributions from other programmes funds such as energy suppliers' energy efficiency commitment schemes. If that is unsuccessful the client will be asked to make the appropriate contribution. Of the 250,000 householders assisted since the start of the scheme, 6,900 (or 3 per cent. of the total) made such a contribution.
	We will shortly review the grant levels taking into account advice from the scheme managers on the expected rates of labour and materials for the forthcoming year.

Energy Efficiency

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many households in (a) England and (b) the Isle of Wight have qualified for the full grant of £2,000 in respect of the home energy efficiency scheme.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 19 November 2001
	The home energy efficiency scheme (HEES) was launched on 1 June 2000. It is managed by two scheme managers, Eaga Partnership and TXU Warm Front Ltd., and offers two levels of grant:
	HEES—£1,000 for households in receipt of an income-related benefit.
	HEES Plus—£2,000 for over-60s in receipt of an income-related benefit.
	The table identifies the number of households who have qualified for the HEES Plus grant.
	
		HEES Plus householders
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 England 152,200 
			 Isle of Wight 840

Energy Efficiency

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the annual energy savings which would result from the application of minimum energy performance standards as envisaged by the proposed EC Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings to new residential and commercial buildings;
	(2)  if she will estimate the annual energy savings which would result from the application of minimum energy performance standards as envisaged by the proposed EC Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings to renovation projects on buildings (a) larger than 1000 square metres, (b) larger than 500 square metres and (c) larger than 100 square metres.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 8 November 2001
	In England and Wales, it is envisaged that the minimum energy performance standards provisions of the draft Energy Performance of Buildings Directive would be implemented through Part L of the Building Regulations, which are estimated to provide annual savings of 1.45 MtC (about 2 per cent.) from improved standards for new buildings and refurbishment of existing buildings.
	For the European Community as a whole, the European Commission has estimated that the potential energy savings through energy efficiency measures in buildings as a result of the draft Directive would be around 22 per cent. of present consumption, and that this could be realised by the year 2010. Data have not been made available by the Commission on savings for each of the individual measures in the proposal.

Energy Efficiency

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her answer of 9 November 2001, Official Report, column 452W, on warm front grants, if her Department has received representations from other sources; and if she will publish for each of the last three years for which information is available, by region (a) the average cost of work under the scheme and (b) the maximum level set for grants paid for individual householders.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 15 November 2001
	The new Home Energy Efficiency Scheme (HEES) was launched on 1 June 2000 and is marketed as the Warm Front Team. HEES provides two levels of financial assistance:
	HEES—£1,000 for low income households with children under 16, disabled persons or suffering long-term sickness on a qualifying benefit; and
	HEES Plus—£2,000 for over-60s on an income-related benefit.
	In addition, HEES Plus recipients who live in a Home Office designated high crime area may be able to have security measures—door and window locks—provided, though from separate Home Office grant.
	The Department keeps the level of grant maximum for individuals under review. From time to time representations are received from trade associations. In addition, the two appointed scheme managers monitor the cost of measures being installed under HEES, taking into account material and labour costs in their appointed areas.
	The tables identify the average cost of work in each of the four regions for the 2000–01 to 2001–02 financial years.
	
		HEES—£1,000 grant maximum -- £
		
			 Region Average cost of grants 2000–01 Average cost of grants 2001–02 
		
		
			 London and South East 240 300 
			 Eastern, East Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber 270 280 
			 South West and West Midlands 270 300 
			 North West and North East 270 310 
		
	
	
		HEES—£2,000 grant maximum -- £
		
			 Region Average cost of grants 2000–01 Average cost of grants 2001–02 
		
		
			 London and South East 270 650 
			 Eastern, East Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber 460 510 
			 South West and West Midlands 280 850 
			 North West and North East 360 810

Foxhunting

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact on the fox population of the ban on hunting during the foot and mouth crisis.

Alun Michael: There is no information collected centrally which could provide the basis for an answer to this question.

Ovine BSE (Research)

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when she first was informed of the results of the tests conducted by the Laboratory of the Government Scientist in relation to BSE in sheep; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  on what basis the time of publication of the findings of the Government Scientist in relation to the work of the Institute of Animal Health on BSE in sheep was decided.

Margaret Beckett: The results of DNA testing undertaken by the Laboratory of the Government Chemist (LGC) were made known to me on the afternoon of Wednesday, 17 October. Only at around 6.00 pm on Wednesday evening was information received suggesting that the material analysed by the LGC might be representative of the brain pool used in the Institute of Animal Health experiment.
	The finding that there was no sheep material in the sample sent to the LGC was a totally unforeseen development. Nevertheless, a statement was made the same evening and within a few hours of Ministers being informed of the results. This statement was given to the Press Association at about 9.00 pm, then issued to other news organisations.

Educational Attainment (Rural Areas)

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of young people living in rural areas in the United Kingdom gained five GCSEs at grade levels A* to C compared to the national average in (a) 1996, (b) 1997, (c) 1998, (d) 1999, (e) 2000 and (f) 2001.

Alun Michael: The Department for Education and Skills, which is responsible for the publication of statistics on participation in education, does not produce figures on the basis of an urban/rural breakdown. Figures for individual local education authorities and local skills councils are available in their statistical bulletins available on their website.

Educational Attainment (Rural Areas)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of young children living in rural areas in the United Kingdom did not reach the national average for Key Stage 2 assessment in (a) 1996, (b) 1997, (c) 1998, (d) 1999, (e) 2000 and (f) 2001.

Alun Michael: The Department for Education and Skills, which is responsible for the publication of statistics on participation in education, does not produce figures on the basis of an urban/rural breakdown. Figures for individual local education authorities and local skills councils are available in their statistical bulletins. The Key Stage 2 publication is a Statistical First Release 40/2001 "National Curriculum Assessment Assessments of 7, 11 and 14-year-olds by Local Education Authority" available on their website.

Lord Haskins

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she has taken to ensure that the responsibilities of Lord Haskins within the Prime Minister's office are co-ordinated with the priorities, objectives and work of her Department.

Alun Michael: My noble Friend Lord Haskins does not have any responsibilities within the Prime Minister's office. His report as rural recovery co-ordinator for Cumbria was submitted to me on 2 October. My noble Friend Lord Haskins continues to chair the Better Regulation Task Force, which submits reports to Government on regulatory issues. The response of Government to any specific report is co-ordinated by the Government Department which has lead responsibility for the policy area covered by that report.

Agriculture Council

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the outcome was of the Agriculture Council held in Brussels on 20 November; what the Government's stance was on each issue discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: I represented the United Kingdom at the meeting of the Agriculture Council in Brussels on 20 November, Agriculture Ministers of the devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland attended.
	It was not possible to reach agreement on the main item of business, the proposed reform of the sheepmeat regime. I am disappointed with this outcome since I believe that a satisfactory outcome was close. I hope that the Council will be able to complete discussions at its next meeting.
	The Council reviewed the situation in the beef and veal market and the Commission, while not proposing any new action, agreed to monitor developments closely. I supported several member states who stressed that high standards of animal welfare should be maintained when cattle are exported live from the EU; the Commission did not however accept that export refunds on this trade should be discontinued. The Council received information on the current situation with regard to action to control BSE in the member states. The Commission reported that it was examining the compatibility with EU law of recent action by the French trade in respect of beef imports from other EU members. I reminded the Council that one member state had still to lift its ban on imports of British beef.
	On sheepmeat, the Commission noted that the EU's Scientific Steering Committee (SSC), which provides advice on food safety and risk management issues, had considered but not approved the further requirements that France proposed to introduce in respect of Specified Risk Material (SRM), especially spinal cord, in carcases. France was invited to supply further information for consideration by the SSC and meanwhile to defer implementation of the measures.
	The Council took note of a report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the evaluation of active substances in pesticides. The Council also congratulated the Commission on the successful conclusion of the discussions on agriculture at the Doha meeting of the WTO.

Foot and Mouth

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what was the average time taken between the initial identification of positive cases of foot and mouth disease and (a) disinfection of carcases and (b) disposal of carcases in each month from February to October.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 1 November 2001
	The table provided shows average times from the initial report of potential foot and mouth disease to disposal. Information on disinfection of carcases is not available as the initial cleansing and disinfection relates to the whole premises.
	
		
			 Month Average time taken (hours) 
		
		
			 February 201 
			 March 135 
			 April 93 
			 May 93 
			 June 45 
			 July 36 
			 August 83 
			 September 26 
			 Average 105 
		
	
	Source:
	DEFRA Disease Control System Database as at 17:30 30 October 2001. Figures subject to revision as more data become available.

Foot and Mouth

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the risks of spreading foot and mouth disease associated with (a) fox hunting with dogs, (b) riding a horse, (c) walking a dog and (d) rambling; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: A full list of Veterinary Risk Assessments relating to foot and mouth disease can be found on the DEFRA website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/ footandmouth/disease/risks/index/htm. No. 4 deals with opening footpaths to the public; No. 10 deals with Horse Race meetings; No. 12 deals with specified equestrian events; No. 14 deals with official equestrian events and non agricultural land, and No. 26 covers activities relating to hunting with dogs.
	Information is also available to advise dog owners how they can guard against spreading foot and mouth disease. This can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/ footandmouth/about/animals/dogs.asp.
	I have placed a printed copy of this information in the Library of the House of Commons.

Green Minister's Report

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will publish the next Green Minister's report.

Michael Meacher: I am delighted to announce that Greening Government: Third Annual Report 2001 will be published tomorrow. The report will be presented in two parts; Part 1 is a summary of the achievements across Government against the commitments set out in the work programme in last year's report. Part 2 of the report will be in the form of a database giving details of the performance of every Department. The database will be available on the Government's sustainable development website: www.sustainable-development.gov.uk.
	The information contained within Part 2 will be transferred to a CD-Rom and placed alongside copies of Part 1 in the Libraries of both Houses.

Jet Skis

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the insurance industry about compulsory third party cover for jet skis operated in coastal waters.

David Jamieson: holding answer 5 November 2001
	I have been asked to reply.
	My Department takes the view that compulsory third party insurance is not an option that should be pursued and discussions with the insurance industry have therefore not been necessary.
	It is the responsibility of UK local authorities and harbour authorities to regulate personal watercraft using local byelaw powers. However, the Department has produced a nationally distributed 'Voluntary Code of Practice for Leisure Users' which provides safety guidelines and encourages third party insurance.

Jet Skis

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with her European counterparts about the regulation of jet skis operated in coastal waters.

David Jamieson: holding answer 5 November 2001
	I have been asked to reply.
	My Department has not consulted European colleagues about the regulation of jet skis operated in coastal waters as regulation through local byelaw powers is considered to be adequate. The Inter Departmental Review of byelaws in 1998 recommended that local authorities should be given more general powers to regulate activities affecting the wider environment and coastal zones, including the use of recreational craft.

Social Housing

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much social housing by local authority defined as rural was available to rent in (a) 1996, (b) 1997, (c) 1998, (d) 1999, (e) 2000 and (f) 2001; and what proportion of such housing was filled during these years.

Sally Keeble: I have been asked to reply.
	Estimates of residential housing stock and vacancy levels are reported by local authorities annually on Housing Investment Programme returns. Total social housing stock and derived levels of occupation as at 1 April in each year, distinguishing between stock owned by local authorities and by Registered Social Landlords, in authorities categorised as either mixed rural or deep rural, are as follows:
	
		Social housing stock -- Thousand
		
			 As at 1 April Number  of which occupied: (percentage) 
		
		
			 Local authority owned   
			 1996 508.1 98.5 
			 1997 489.0 98.4 
			 1998 472.2 98.3 
			 1999 436.9 98.1 
			 2000 410.7 97.9 
			 2001 374.1 98.0 
			 Registered Social Landlord owned   
			 1996 176.4 98.6 
			 1997 193.5 98.5 
			 1998 206.9 98.6 
			 1999 235.1 98.5 
			 2000 254.8 98.5 
			 2001 291.2 98.6 
		
	
	A certain level of vacancy is a usual feature of housing management, reflecting turnover and movement within the stock, including those vacant for very short periods between tenants and those requiring minor repairs before re-letting.

Photo-voltaic Technology

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she is taking to support the development of photo-voltaic technology.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 16 November 2001
	I have been asked to reply.
	The Department has had a Solar Photovoltaics Research and Development Programme for a number of years, in collaboration with industry, and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has also had a programme of basic and applied research with the Universities. Research and development projects on PV technology continue to be supported under the Department's Sustainable Energy Programme, via a six monthly call process, and PV secured the largest share of any renewable technology under the EPSRC's Renewable and New Energy Technologies Programme.
	We are also funding around thirty demonstration projects on clusters of homes under the DTI's Domestic PV Systems Field Trial, with a budget of 5.4 million, and have just launched the Large Scale Building- Integrated Field Trial for Public Buildings with a budget of 3 million. This should enable us to support around 15 projects on schools, universities, hospitals, visitor centres and central and local Government buildings.
	Looking to the future, we are currently designing the first phase of the Major PV Demonstration Programme, which was announced in the Government's Opportunity for All White Paper in February this year. We have a 20 million budget for this over the next 23 years, and it is intended that capital grants will be available for all sizes and types of PV installations on both domestic and non-domestic buildings.

Fuel Cell Research

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she proposes to support the development of fuel cell research.

Brian Wilson: holding answer 16 November 2001
	I have been asked to reply.
	The Department has been supporting fuel cells research and development for many years, through the DTI Sustainable Energy Programme and the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council. Since 1992 the DTI has supported 147 fuel cell projects with a total DTI spend of 11.8 million. The current DTI programme is spending about 2 million per annum, with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) spending about the same on basic research related to fuel cells.
	The Energy Review currently being conducted by the Performance and Innovation Unit is considering the role of new technologies including fuel cells, in conjunction with other energy matters, as part of its review of strategic issues surrounding energy policy. It is due to report to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister by the end of the year. Fuel cells may also be used to replace or supplement the internal combustion engine in vehicles. The Government will shortly be issuing a consultation draft of their Powering Future Vehicles strategy for promoting the development, introduction and take-up of hybrid, fuel cell and other low-carbon vehicle technologies.

Refrigerants

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance and guidance she has given to local councils for the disposal of refrigerators after 1 January 2002.

Michael Meacher: holding answer 8 November 2001
	From 1 January 2002, the EC Regulation on Ozone Depleting Substances will require 'controlled substances' (including CFCs) in coolants and in insulating foam to be removed before recycling or reclamation of domestic refrigerator units. All local authorities have been informed of the requirements of the Regulation and my Department is currently assessing what financial assistance local authorities will require, in keeping with the new burdens procedure. We expect to finalise shortly guidance on the storage of waste refrigeration equipment, prior to CFC extraction.

Countryside Visitors

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of people travelled by (a) private transport, (b) train, (c) bus and (d) other forms of transport to the countryside in the 12 months from November 2000.

Alun Michael: Figures are not currently available on the mode of transport used to visit the countryside since November last year. However, I understand that the English Tourism Council's United Kingdom Tourism Survey reports annually, and that information is collected on the mode of transport used to visit the countryside. Figures for 2001 should be available early in 2002.

LORD CHANCELLOR

Embezzlement of Public Funds

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the costs to public funds of (a) criminal damage and (b) embezzlement of public funds and investigations thereof in the latest year for which figures are available.

John Denham: I have been asked to reply.
	The most recent Home Office estimate of the economic and social cost of crime was published in a report in December 2000, The economic and social cost of crime (Home Office Research Study 217). This includes estimates of the costs to public funds of crime, as well as estimates of the costs to victims of crime. All figures mentioned here relate to costs in the 19992000 financial year.
	The study estimates that criminal damage, both to private and public property, had a cost to public funds of 360 million in 19992000.
	Home Office figures for fraud are based on the legislative definition of fraud; this includes all fraud and does not separate frauds committed against the public sector from other types of fraud.
	However, a Home office commissioned study carried out by National Economic Research Associates (NERA) estimated that the cost of fraud committed against Government and the amount of public funds engaged in counter-fraud activity to be between 4 and 9 billion. These costs include the estimated value of fraud as well as expenditure on counter-fraud activity, but excluded Criminal Justice System (CJS) costs.
	
		Estimated cost to public funds of public embezzlement --  million
		
			  Low estimate High estimate 
		
		
			 Benefits Fraud 2,600 5,600 
			 Civil Service employee fraud 2 2 
			 Customs and Excise + VAT fraud 900 2,500 
			 Local authorities 10 10 
			 NHS fraud 7 150 
			 Inland Revenue 50 400 
			 Total Public Sector Fraud 4,000 9,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Totals may not sum due to rounding of figures.
	2. Figures exclude any costs to the criminal justice system.
	Source:
	The Economic Cost of Fraud, NERA, 2000

Asylum

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will make a statement on progress towards the public service agreement target for reducing asylum appeals decision time.

Rosie Winterton: The Lord Chancellor's Department does not have a public service agreement for reducing asylum appeals decision time for the year 200102. The Service Delivery Agreement target for the Immigration Appellate Authority for the year 200203 is to process 65 per cent. of all cases through both tiers within four months of receipt.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will make a statement on the public service agreement target for the respect of the rights of defendants and their fair treatment.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 23 November 2001, Official Report, columns 55051W.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on progress towards the public service agreement target for reducing delay in the criminal justice system.

Michael Wills: The Government regard the removal of unnecessary delay from the criminal justice process to be one of its most important tasks. They have taken a number of steps, notably those contained in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, to reduce delay. In June 1997, the average time for defendants in all criminal proceedings in the magistrates courts from first listing to completion was 35 days. By March 2001 this had reduced to 30 days, an improvement of over 14 per cent.
	Public expenditure settlements for the various Departments within Government were set in July 2000 for three years expiring at the end of March 2004. The Government are considering carefully what targets to set for the balance of that period.

Nottingham Crown Court

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment the Lord Chancellor has made of the support available to barristers who are disabled at Nottingham Crown court; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: In 1999 a Disability Discrimination Act accessibility audit was conducted at Nottingham Crown court, and all other Court Service courts. The audit found that the court at Nottingham is accessible to disabled court users. Court managers are willing to discuss the needs of all users in advance of them attending court.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Warden Force

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has (a) to assess the success of the warden force within the Metropolitan police area and (b) to reproduce it in police forces (i) across the country and (ii) in Cleveland.

John Denham: holding answer 20 November 2001
	The Government have commissioned a national evaluation of the Neighbourhood Wardens programme. This is now under way and due for completion by mid-2003. The evaluation is intended to provide an assessment of scheme impacts and to understand the processes of scheme implementation. The methodology includes in-depth investigations in eight case study schemes, comprehensive household surveys in a further seven, and surveys of wardens and scheme managers in all areas.
	It is not possible to consider each and every scheme in the same detail but care is taken to ensure that all regions receive roughly equal coverage that enables a picture of national-level impact to be established.
	In addition, schemes are encouraged to undertake local-level evaluations appropriate to their needs.
	Street warden schemes in England have yet to start and will be subject to a similarly rigorous evaluation process.

Chemical or Biological Attack (Civil Defence)

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on establishing (a) a local emergency and (b) civil defence services to deal with a chemical or biological attack.

John Denham: There have been a small number of representations received from individual members of the public suggesting the establishment of civil defence services to respond to a variety of local or national threats, including chemical or biological (CB) attack.
	I am not aware of any representations from civil protection professionals or organisations, either directly in response to the events of 11 September or as part of the Emergency Planning Review following the publication of the consultation document on 23 August, which have called for the establishment of civil defence services. There are comprehensive and well-developed inter- agency arrangements for dealing with emergencies in the United Kingdom whatever their cause. It has long been accepted by civil protection professionals, including the emergency services, that disaster response would not be helped by the creation of anything in the nature of a national squad and that prime responsibility for handling disasters should be at the local level where the resources and expertise are found.
	An analysis of all the responses to the Emergency Planning Review will be made to Ministers and a report on the outcomes will be made to the Central Local Partnership.
	There have been requests from local authorities, both directly and through the Local Government Association and the Emergency Planning Society for specific guidance about CB and other novel threats. In mid-October, guidance 'Response to the Deliberate Release of Chemicals and Biological Agents' was issued to local authorities. Separate specific guidance about anthrax was issued to general practitioners and health authorities, also in October.

Emergency Strategies (Yorkshire and Humber)

Lawrie Quinn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on emergency planning strategies in Yorkshire and the Humber.

John Denham: holding answer 31 October 2001
	Emergency planning strategies are a local matter and, in this instance, are a matter for the responding agencies in Yorkshire and Humber.
	Guidance has been issued on emergency planning which promotes the principles of Integrated Emergency Management, under which all organisations likely to be involved in the response, including the emergency services and local authorities, share their plans and participate in strategic meetings, joint exercises and training.
	The Cabinet Office Review into the Future of Emergency Planning in England and Wales raises the issue of monitoring local emergency planning services and has invited specific comments and suggestions about it.

Communications Interception

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests he has received to approve a warrant for the interception of a person's communications in each of the years since 1997; and how many he has refused.

David Blunkett: The figures relating to the numbers of warrants issued are published annually in the reports of the Commissioners initially appointed under the Interception of Communications Act 1985 (IOCA) and now the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) Copies are placed in the Library.
	Records of refusals or withdrawal of requests are not kept in a form which would enable the information requested to be extracted without disproportionate cost.

Police Specials

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police specials are working in the police service.

John Denham: The number of serving special constables in England and Wales as at 31 March 2001 is 12,738.
	The Government are committed to increasing the Special Constabulary and we are looking at radical improvements in their management, welfare and deployment as part of the police reform process.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress towards the Public Service Agreement target 
	(1)  for the reconviction rate for offenders serving prison sentences;
	(2)  for the reconviction rate for offenders serving community sentences;
	(3)  of ensuring just processes and just and effective outcomes.

Beverley Hughes: Ensuring just processes and just and effective outcomes is one of the key objectives in the 200102 Criminal Justice Business Plan. It will be measured using the Public Service Agreement target to reduce the rate of reconvictions of all offenders punished by imprisonment or by community supervision by 5 per cent. by 2004 compared to the predicted rate.
	Reducing the rate of reconvictions is one of this Government's key delivery priorities with a delivery plan in place. The delivery strands which will contribute towards the target have been selected on the principles of 'What Works' based on research evidence of effectiveness.
	The Public Service Agreement target also included a commitment to reduce the rate of reconvictions of all young offenders by 5 per cent. by 2004 compared to the predicted rate. The Youth Justice Board is taking this forward using a similar approach.
	I have asked to see regular reports on the progress towards this target.

Data Protection

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of whether the notification of the Security Service in relation to Part III of the Data Protection Act 1998 is accurate and up to date; whether the Service is to notify purposes associated with the processing of personal data (a) to assist the police in relation to serious crime and (b) to protect the economic well-being of the state; and if he will make a statement.

John Denham: I understand from the Security Service that it has notified the Information Commissioner that it processes data for three purposes. These are staff administration, building security Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) and commercial agreements. The Security Service has also acknowledged in its notification that it processes data for other purposes, although these have not been separately notified. The notification is accurate and up to date.
	At the moment, the Security Service does not intend to make any notification in respect of its statutory duties as defined by the Security Service Acts 1989 and 1996, sections 1 and 1(1) respectively.

Police Funding

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on whether he takes into account (a) actual and (b) anticipated levels of external funding to police forces for the neighbourhood local renewal fund when allocating funds for the (i) recruitment and (ii) training of police officers.

John Denham: The only funds allocated to police forces specifically for the recruitment and training of police officers are provided through the crime fighting fund. Allocations of crime fighting fund recruits to forces took no account of the neighbourhood local renewal fund.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the cost in (a) 19992000, (b) 200001 and (c) 200102 of anti- social behaviour orders.

John Denham: Information on the cost of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) for each year since their introduction is not held centrally. Nevertheless, based on a survey of 21 cases conducted in April this year, the average cost of applying for an antisocial behaviour order was calculated to be 4,800. This is the cost to either the local authority or the police, and includes staff costs associated with evidence gathering, preparing the case and attending court. It does not include dealing with appeals and breaches. Fuller details will be included in the review of ASBOs which we are aiming to publish shortly.

CARATS Programmes

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the cost in (a) 200001 and (b) 200102 of CARATS programmes in prisons.

Beverley Hughes: Funding provided under the Comprehensive Spending Review and Spending Review 2000 for Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare services (CARATS) in prisons was (a) 9,000,000 in 200001 and (b) 12,000,000 in 200102.

Prisons

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to change male prisons to female use.

Beverley Hughes: The number of women in prison continues to rise steeply, dramatically exceeding the most recent population projections. Extra capacity is urgently needed and the Prison Service has decided that the best way of providing this is a further change of function of male accommodation. Buckley Hall prison near Rochdale has been selected as the most suitable option in terms of suitable accommodation, geographical location, staffing arrangements and other related factors. The prison is expected to be ready to accept female prisoners from early next year.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Fair Employment

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what fair employment measures his Cabinet Secretary has put in place in each Government Department to encourage applications from Northern Ireland.

Christopher Leslie: Home civil service Departments and agencies have a great deal of autonomy in their personnel policies. However, corporate civil service equal opportunities policy provides that all eligible people must have equality of opportunity for employment and advancement on the basis of their suitability for work. There must be no unfair discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, or (in Northern Ireland) community background.
	There are 10 home civil service Departments and agencies in Northern Ireland covered by Northern Ireland's fair employment legislation. These Departments and agencies are taking measures to improve the balance of representation in their work force. These include: the publication of Affirmative Action Plans; increasing outreach measures in under-represented sectors of the community; setting recruitment and promotion goals and monitoring closely job applications from each community. The Cabinet Office reports on fair employment issues in HCS Departments and agencies to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
	The civil service reform programme aims to achieve a dramatic increase in diversity and tackle under- representation. The Cabinet Secretary reports to the Prime Minister annually on the range of action being taken by the Cabinet Office and Departments to ensure the civil service accelerates progress on diversity.

Fair Trade Goods

Michael Weir: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his Department's policy is in relation to departmental spending for supplies concerning the purchase of Fair Trade goods.

Christopher Leslie: Cabinet Office purchasing policy is based on value for money principles. We have no specific policy on Fair Trade goods. Purchases are considered on the basis of fitness for purpose and whole-life cost. Where these considerations are equal, the choice of goods would be influenced by ethical and environmental factors. The Cabinet Office will, however, consider the availability of Fair Trade goods in the Department's refreshment facilities.

Energy Review

Robert Key: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  if the (a) Scottish Executive and (b) Scottish Parliament are represented on the Advisory Group for his review of the UK's future energy needs;
	(2)  if the Scottish (a) Executive and (b) Parliament are represented on the Advisory Group for the review of the UK's future energy needs.

Barbara Roche: Since energy policy is a reserved matter, the Minister of State at the Scotland Office represents Scotland's interests on the Advisory Group.
	The Scotland Office and other UK Government Departments have been continuing to work in close co-operation with the Scottish Executive on energy issues which impinge on devolved responsibilities. The Minister of State has had regular discussions with Scottish Executive Ministers and officials about the issues raised by this Energy Review.

Energy Review

Robert Key: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the progress of the Energy Review.

Barbara Roche: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for East Surrey (Mr. Ainsworth) by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 12 November 2001, Official Report, column 546W.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Disability Discrimination Act

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when a code of practice on the final phase of the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 on access to goods, facilities and services will be laid before Parliament.

Maria Eagle: A Code of Practice prepared by the Disability Rights Commission was laid before Parliament today. This explains the current duties on service providers and the duties that will come into force on 1 October 2004. Under the new duties, where reasonable, a service provider may have to remove, alter or avoid physical features that make access to his service impossible or unreasonably difficult for a disabled person. In addition, a report of the consultation on the code and on regulatory proposals was placed in the Library today.
	Service providers have no need to be apprehensive about these new duties, as they will never have to make unreasonable changes because of them. The code will help service providers decide what it might be reasonable to do in particular circumstances. There are over 8.5 million disabled people in the UK with a collective spending power in excess of 45 billion a year. It makes good economic sense as well as being right to attract as many of these customers as possible by improving access to services. The Government have allowed a long transitional period for the new duties, and the Commission will be publishing the code early, so that service providers can plan adequately and, for example, make access improvements before 2004 as part of refurbishment or other work. I would strongly encourage them to do this.

New Deal

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Hertsmere (Mr. Clappison), of 12 November 2001, Official Report, column 569W, on new deal programmes, if the number of sanctions imposed on people participating in the new deal for the long-term unemployed is now available.

Nick Brown: Up to September 2001, 10,719 sanctions had been imposed on people participating in New Deal 25 plus.
	Source:
	Employment Service Labour Market Statistics

New Deal

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of the pre-April 2001 entrants to the new deal for the long-term unemployed who undertook the full time education and training option (a) left the option for employment before completing their course, (b) completed their course and (c) obtained an accredited qualification.

Nick Brown: The latest results for the new deal for long-term unemployed are contained in the Statistical First Release which is available in the Library. Information on numbers completing options and on qualifications gained is not available.

Lone Parents

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what changes have been made to housing benefit to support the policy that 16 to 17-year-old lone parents should be housed in semi-independent adult- supervised accommodation.

Malcolm Wicks: The Social Exclusion Unit report on Teenage Pregnancy recommended that parents under 18 years old who are unable to remain at home with their parents are provided with supported housing.
	This will be achieved by using existing accommodation, with on-site or floating support, and the provision of new purpose-built facilities mainly provided by Registered Social Landlords.
	So far the Housing Corporation has approved funding for over 720 new supported units, estimated to constitute between a third and a half of the total additional supported accommodation needed for full implementation of the policy. They are currently considering a further round of bids.
	After careful consideration we concluded that, pending further progress in providing supported housing, it would not be appropriate to make changes to the Housing Benefit entitlement of 16 to 17-year-old lone parents at the present time.

Minimum Income Guarantee

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place a copy of the new piloted minimum income guarantee claim form in the Library.

Ian McCartney: The new minimum income guarantee form was placed in the Library on 29 October 2001.

Minimum Income Guarantee

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the new minimum income guarantee claim form will be introduced for all applicants; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

Ian McCartney: The new minimum income guarantee claim form was introduced on 29 October 2001 and placed in the Library on the same day.

Pension Fund Transfers

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to ensure pension providers transfer funds from one provider to another in a timely and proper fashion.

Ian McCartney: The law sets requirements as to the time allowed to trustees and managers of occupational pension schemes to calculate and provide cash equivalent transfer values, and the manner in which they do so. Members' interests are adequately protected by those requirements. We have no plans to make any further provision.

Child Support Agency

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if the CSA is required to recalculate maintenance liabilities back to the beginning of a claim in cases where a parent with care is shown to have been fraudulently claiming income support for some or all of the period during which the CSA was involved.

Malcolm Wicks: The CSA can supersede a maintenance assessment from the date that it came into effect if a parent with care is discovered to have given false information that has resulted in an increase in maintenance liability. In practice, however, few parents with care have sufficient income to affect the maintenance assessment. The discovery that a claim for income support was fraudulent will, therefore, often have no effect on the amount of maintenance due.

Child Support Agency

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints have been made to the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years by hon. Members on behalf of their constituents.

Malcolm Wicks: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Norman Lamb, dated 23 November 2001
	I am replying to your Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions about the Child Support Agency.
	Mr. Smith is unavailable and therefore I am writing to you on his behalf.
	You asked how many complaints have been made to the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years by honourable Members on behalf of their constituents.
	Some of the information you have requested is not available, as it is not collected in the format you have asked for.
	The Agency began counting the number of complaints received from Members of Parliament as a separate statistical figure from July 2000.
	From July 2000 to September 2001, the number of complaints received by the Agency from Members of Parliament on behalf of their constituents was 6,640.
	I hope this is helpful.

Child Support Agency

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what is the average waiting time between submission of the complaint and completion of the investigation of CSA cases referred to the Independent Case Examiner in the last 12 months.

Malcolm Wicks: The Independent Case Examiner's average clearance time, from November 2000 to October 2001, was 33.5 weeks.

Child Support Agency

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what was the backlog of Child Support Agency cases awaiting the attention of the Independent Case Examiner at (a) 1 January 2000, (b) 1 July 2001, (c) 1 January 2001 and (d) 1 July 2001.

Malcolm Wicks: Details of the Child Support Agency cases which were awaiting the attention of the Independent Case Examiner, on the specified dates, are in the table.
	
		
			 Date Number of cases awaiting initial action Number of cases awaiting investigation of evidence Total 
		
		
			 1 January 2000 16 130 146 
			 1 July 2000 152 8 160 
			 1 January 2001 213 36 249 
			 1 July 2001 290 51 341 
			 Current position 0 182 182

Child Support Agency

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what recent representations he has received on delays in estimation of absent parents' contributions to child support;
	(2)  what measures are available to ensure that parents with care do not lose financially as a result of delayed estimation of absent parents' contributions to child support;
	(3)  what targets he has set the Child Support Agency to improve times taken to determine absent parents' contributions to child support;
	(4)  when he last discussed with the Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency the time taken to determine absent parents' contributions to child support;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the time taken by the Child Support Agency to determine absent parents' contributions to child support.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 21 November 2001
	My right hon. Friend holds regular meetings with the Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency, Mr. Doug Smith, to discuss all aspects of Child Support Agency performance. The time taken to complete a child support assessment is monitored on a monthly basis. For information about the latest performance information I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 15 November 2001, Official Report, column 1339. The agency has received 6,375 complaints from customers and 1,584 from Members of Parliament about delays in making maintenance assessments in the last 12 months.
	Delays in completing assessments are largely due to the complexity of the current scheme. The simpler child support arrangements to be introduced for the new cases from April 2002 will allow this work to be completed more quickly. We will expect the agency to get child support flowing within six weeks for the majority of applicants.
	In common with other agencies, the Child Support Agency compensates clients for financial loss arising from maladministration. Delays caused by the clients themselves, however, and the inevitable length of the current process are not covered by these arrangements.

Child Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many child benefit payments have been (a) suspended pending further inquiries and (b) terminated as a consequence of this summer's identity confirmation exercise; and what proportion each figure constitutes of the number of claimants for each region of the UK.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department carries out a number of initiatives to confirm identity information each year. An initiative to which this question may be referring is one that checks a sample number of child benefit recipients who receive payment by automated credit transfer.
	This initiative is continuing and the latest figures available are for the period June 2000 to March 2001:
	168,000 customers included in exercise
	3,711 ChB accounts suspended.
	Information is not available on the number of payments terminated or on a regional basis.

Benefit Take-up

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the total annual amount of unclaimed benefit, broken down by individual benefits, in (a) Scotland and (b) the United Kingdom.

Malcolm Wicks: Information is available only for Great Britain. This is contained in the publication Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 1999/2000, a copy of which is in the Library.

Benefit Take-up

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how the reports on (a) take-up of income-related benefits and (b) households below average income in 19992000 can be accessed through his Department's website; and if he will take steps to clarify the procedure to be followed by users of the site.

Ian McCartney: Reports on the take-up of income- related benefits can be found at: http://www.dss.gov.uk/ asd/tu9900f.pdf
	The households below average income survey can be found at: http://www.dss.gov.uk/publications/dss/2001/ hbai/index.htm
	An improved Department for Work and Pensions website will be launched in December. The homepage of this site will include a link to research reports produced by the Department.

Disability Benefit

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disability benefit claimants there are in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) the constituency of Gordon; and how many disability benefit claimants will be liable to attend work-focused interviews as a result of the Social Security (Jobcentre Plus Interviews) Regulations 2001 in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) the constituency of Gordon.

Nick Brown: Jobcentre Plus will ensure that for the first time there is a single gateway to the benefit system for people of working age. We want to make sure that everyone of working age has the opportunity to find out what support is available to help them to work. At the same time, this gives us the opportunity to get more help to people who cannot work.
	National roll out of Jobcentre Plus will start next year. At present, only people of working age living within areas that are served by Jobcentre Plus pathfinders or work-focused interview sites making new or repeat claims will be required to attend a work-focused interview. No such office is currently serving the Gordon constituency. Information on the number of people who have attended interviews since Pathfinder offices were opened on 22 October will be available in December.
	The number of people of working age claiming benefit on the basis of sickness or disability is in the table.
	
		
			  Thousand 
		
		
			 May 2001  
			 Great Britain 2,984.1 
			 Gordon 2.0 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Working age is 1659 for women and 1664 for men. The table includes people claiming incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance, disability living allowance and income support with the disability premium.
	2. Cases are allocated to each Parliamentary Constituency by matching the postcode against the 2000 version 1 of the Postcode Directory and represent Parliamentary Constituency boundaries as at May 1997.
	3. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	4. Figures for Northern Ireland are not included. Social security matters in Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
	Source:
	Client Group Analysis of DWP Information Centre 5 per cent. statistical samples relating to May 2001.

Housing Benefit

Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many representations he has received from individual local authorities, local government associations and pressure groups on the administrative complexity of the housing benefit/council tax benefit system.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 14 November 2001
	Information on representations made to the Department is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Medical Assessments

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the work conducted by SEMA doctors on behalf of his Department in Cambridgeshire; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Brown: The work of all SchlumbergerSema doctors on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions is closely monitored by SchlumbergerSema and the Department. The performance of doctors in Cambridgeshire has in general met the required standards and no major issues of concern over quality standards have emerged. Where monitoring identifies there is room for improvement of a doctor's performance, appropriate feedback is given to the doctor concerned.

Medical Assessments

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the extension of SEMA's contract.

Nick Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for Coatbridge and Chryston (Mr. Clarke) on 22 November 2001, Official Report, column 447W.

Basic Pension

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to review the 85 pension threshold for clawback of incapacity benefit.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 13 November 2001
	While we keep all social security benefits constantly under review we have no plans to change the threshold at which occupational and personal pensions are taken into account in assessing incapacity benefit for new claims.

Disabled People (Heating Costs)

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent studies he has (a) conducted and (b) commissioned into the exceptional heating costs of different categories of disabled persons.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 13 November 2001
	The Department itself has not conducted or commissioned studies of this sort. For England the main source of information on fuel poverty is the five-yearly English House Condition Survey (ECHS). The survey does not look at the different categories of disabled persons. The latest edition for which figures on fuel poverty are available relates to 1996. Figures for households in fuel poverty in 1998 have been produced from the 1998 Energy Follow Up Survey to the English House Condition Survey, although the analysis available from this survey is more limited than that from the ECHS.
	The UK Poverty Strategy, published by the Government in February 2001, aims to seek an end to fuel poverty and the first priority is to ensure that by 2010 no vulnerable household in the UK need risk ill health due to a cold home.

Hospital Downrating

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many persons had their state pensions cut as a result of a hospital stay of more than (a) six weeks and (b) 52 weeks in each year since May 1997.

Ian McCartney: The information requested is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
	The number of people as of 31 March in each individual year with their pension downrated was:
	
		
			   Number downrated  
			  652 weeks Over 52 weeks Total 
		
		
			 March 1998 19,000 13,000 32,000 
			 March 1999 20,000 12,000 32,000 
			 March 2000 22,000 10,000 32,000 
			 March 2001 23,000 10,000 33,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures rounded to nearest 1,000
	2. Information is not available prior to 199798
	3. Administrative data only records information at an individual point in time. It is therefore not possible to give the total number of people that have their pension downrated during the course of a year, only the total number at a particular point in time.

Automated Credit Transfer

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer of 26 October 2001, Official Report, column 442W, on benefit payouts (ACT), what information is collected about benefit recipients and automated credit transfer.

Malcolm Wicks: Statistical information, by benefit, is collected quarterly and annually on the number of customers currently receiving benefit by ACT in GB and overseas. Data are also collected on the number of GB customers choosing ACT when they make a new claim to benefit. Historical data on the percentage of new and existing GB customers receiving payment by ACT are also collated.
	Currently around 40 per cent. of customers choose ACT as their method of payment.

Public Appointments

Tim Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appointments he has made to public bodies since 7 June; and how many are in his gift.

Ian McCartney: Information about numbers of ministerial appointments to public bodies is included in the Cabinet Office's annual report, Public Bodies. Copies of this are placed in the Library of the House and the report is published on the Cabinet Office's internet website. The next edition of Public Bodies, which will include number of appointments at March 2001, will be published around the end of the year.
	
		DWPPublic BodiesAppointments 7 June to 31 October 2001
		
			  Total In gift of Secretary of State Since 7 June 2001 
		
		
			 Advisory Committee for Disabled People in Employment and Training (ACDET) 13 0 (31)13 
			 Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board (DLAAB) 20 20 2 
			 Disability rights Commission (DRC) 15 15 0 
			 Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC) 14 14 10 
			 Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority (OPRA) 10 10 0 
			 Pensions compensation Board (PCB) 3 3 1 
			 Pensions Ombudsman (PO) 1 1 1 
			 Race Education and Employment Forum (REEF) 18 0 0 
			 Remploy Ltd. 14 0 5 
			 Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) 14 14 3 
		
	
	(31) Following Ministerial agreement on 28 August 2001 to extend the term of ACDET until March 2002 all appointments for the Committee were extended until 31 March 2002.
	Notes:
	1. Information based on DWP public bodies as in the Cabinet Office publication Public Bodies.
	2. The Appeals Service information is not included as the Lord Chancellors Department makes the appointments.

Income-related Benefits

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people living in the Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency were in receipt of income-related benefits in each of the last four years.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 20 November 2001
	The available information is in the tables.
	
		Income-related benefit recipients in the Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency
		
			  May 1998 May 1999 May 2000 May 2001 
		
		
			 Income Support 6,400 6,200 6,900 7,400 
			 Jobseeker's Allowance(32) 2,400 2,200 1,800 1,600 
			 Family Credit/Working Families' Tax Credit(33) 1,800 1,600 2,000 2,400 
			 Disability Working Allowance/Disabled Person's Tax Credit(33) 32 30 45 54 
			 Total 10,600 10,000 10,700 11,400 
		
	
	(32) Income based
	(33) Family Credit and Disability Working Allowance were replaced by Working Families' Tax Credit and Disabled Person's Tax Credit in October 1999 and are tax credits rather than Social Security benefits.
	Notes:
	1. Figures (other than Disability Working Allowance/Disabled Person's Tax Credit which is a 100 per cent. count of all cases) are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling error.
	2. Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance (Income Based), Family Credit/Working Families' Tax Credit and Total figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. Income Support/Jobseeker's Allowance claimants in receipt of Family Credit/Working Families' Tax Credit or Disability Working Allowance/Disabled Person's Tax Credit are not shown in Income Support/Jobseeker's Allowance totals.
	4. Disabled Working Allowance/Disabled Person's Tax Credit figures are for April each year.
	5. Totals may not sum owing to rounding.
	Source:
	Income Support Quarterly Statistical Enquiries May 1998-May 2001
	Jobseeker's Allowance Quarterly Statistical Enquiries May 1998-May 2001
	Family Credit/Working Families' Tax Credit Quarterly Statistical Enquiries May 1998-May 2001
	Disability Working Allowance/Disabled Person's Tax Credit Quarterly Statistical Enquiries April 1998-April 2001
	Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit figures are not available for the Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency but are available for Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland local authorities.
	
		Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit caseload for Middlesbrough local authority
		
			 Date Housing Benefit Council Tax Benefit 
		
		
			 May 1998 17,680 20,330 
			 May 1999 17,560 20,510 
			 May 2000 17,230 20,130 
			 May 2001 16,670 19,560 
		
	
	
		Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit caseload for Redcar and Cleveland local authority
		
			 Date Housing Benefit Council Tax Benefit 
		
		
			 May 1998 12,830 16,620 
			 May 1999 12,940 16,830 
			 May 2000 12,590 16,580 
			 May 2001 12,550 16,740 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East parliamentary constituency is covered in part by the Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland local authority areas. Figures are not therefore representative of the constituency area.
	2. The data refer to households, which may be a single person or a couple.
	3. The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 cases.
	Source:
	Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken each May from 1998 to 2001

Social Exclusion (Wycombe)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) men, (b) women and (c) children of each ethnic group in the Wycombe constituency are classified as socially excluded.

Malcolm Wicks: Poverty and social exclusion are complex multi-dimensional issues, affecting many aspects of people's livesincluding income, health, housing, the quality of their environment and opportunities to learn. There is therefore no single measure that can be used to classify people as socially excluded.

Miners' Compensation

Rachel Squire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much benefit was paid by the Department of Trade and Industry to the Department of Social Security and the Department of Work and Pensions in respect of miners' occupational lung disease claims under the Social Security Act 1997 (Recoupment of Benefit Provisions); how many cases were involved; and how much benefit in those cases was set off and deducted from the compensation by the Department of Trade and Industry.

Maria Eagle: The amount recovered is in respect of payments to miners as a consequence of their illness and is recovered direct from the Department of Trade and Industry, not the miners themselves.
	The available information is in the table.
	
		
			 Miners occupational lung diseases Number of cases Amount paid () 
		
		
			 Chronic bronchitis and emphysema 2,020 7,673,339.86 
			 Asthma 7 115,304.50 
			 Mesothelioma 7 55,437.89 
			 Chest/lung condition 1 8,399.40 
			 Pneumoconiosis 1 3,309.88 
			  
			 Total 2,036 7,855,791.53 
		
	
	Information about the amount of deductions made by the Department of Trade and Industry in lieu of benefit paid is not currently available. My hon. Friend the Minister for Energy and Industry will write to my hon. Friend with the information when it becomes available.

Parliamentary Questions

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will answer question no. 11496, tabled on 26 October, relating to disability claimants; and for what reason it was not answered on the due date of 30 October.

Nick Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to him today at columns 708-09W.

Parliamentary Questions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will reply to WPQ numbers (a) 13442 and (b) 11001.

Maria Eagle: The questions were answered on 23 November and 19 November respectively.

Occupational Pensions

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been paid to the private sector in refunded contributions on account of opted-out occupational pensions schemes in each of the last five years.

Ian McCartney: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
	
		National Insurance contribution rebates for occupational pension schemes
		
			 Year  billion 
		
		
			 199697 5.25 
			 199798 5.24 
			 199899 5.77 
			 19992000 5.79 
			 200001 6.21 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. All figures rounded to nearest 10 million.
	2. The table shows the total amount of National Insurance contribution rebates made in respect of membership of both private sector and public sector contracted-out occupational pension schemes.
	Source:
	Government Actuary's Department

State Pension

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what is the average state pension for (a) men and (b) women.

Ian McCartney: The information requested is contained in the publication, Retirement Pension Summary of Statistics31 March 2001. The publication is available in the Library and can be found on the internet at www.dss.gov.uk/asd/online.html.

HEALTH

Anti-bioterrorism Strategy

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to inform the medical profession of the Government's anti-bioterrorism strategy.

Hazel Blears: As part of on-going contingency planning, arrangements are in place to mitigate the effects of a bioterrorist act and to ensure response and recovery in conjunction with other Government Departments, the national health service and key public health agencies. Further guidance was issued in October to regional directors of public health and health authorities to ensure the NHS is ready to address bioterrorist threats, including anthrax, smallpox, botulism, plague or other unknown biological or chemical agents. At the same time, guidance for medical staff was made available on the Public Health Laboratory Service website.

Anti-bioterrorism Strategy

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the role of vaccination in countering terrorist biological threats.

Jacqui Smith: The Department's on-going planning activity includes a review of the impact of terrorist biological threats and the countermeasures necessary, including vaccination where appropriate. We are working closely with the Ministry of Defence to address the issues of possible biological threats. We are in discussions with the United States of America, the European Union and other Governments to share information on planning and response, including vaccine supplies. There is a strategic reserve of vaccination, which could be rapidly deployed.

Halifax Hospital

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the original estimate was of the cost of the new Halifax hospital; and what the latest estimate is of the total cost.

Jacqui Smith: In 1994, the board of the Calderdale Healthcare National Health Service Trust submitted an outline business case (OBC) to rationalise services from three hospital sites on to one. The costs in this OBC, 34.85 million, related to construction costs only for a combination of new build and refurbishment.
	Further work led to a full business case (FBC) being developed in 1996. The scheme that was put forward was significantly enhanced from the OBC proposal. This included detailed internal design work, creating additional clinical space and more single areas with en-suite facilities. It also included the addition of new build mental health villas that were excluded from the original OBC. The cost of the FBC was 60.96 million.
	The original costs of 34.85 million did not include all the elements of the scheme; it covered only a distinctly different and small scheme. It therefore is not possible to make comparisons between the costs at OBC stage and at FBC stage.
	The FBC included a three-level diagnostic ward block, new mental health villas, a refurbished children's and women's block, other refurbished buildings, and modern systems to support the new facilities.
	The design strategy was further changed in 1998, as it became apparent that the layout would still not meet the need. These changes added a fourth level to the diagnostic ward block to house a new maternity block, and demolition of the existing women and children's block.
	These changes resulted in a new build and refurbishment scheme totalling 76 million. When the costs of borrowing and insurance of the private sector partner, Catalyst, are included in the total cost, the figure is 103 million.

Waiting Lists

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to reduce waiting lists in Boston and Skegness.

Jacqui Smith: As part of the NHS plan, the national health service is working towards reducing the current maximum in-patient wait of 18 months to 15 months by March 2002, 12 months by March 2003, nine months by March 2004 and finally six months by the end of 2005. The maximum out-patient waiting time will fall from over six months today to six months by March 2002 and three months by 2005.
	The health community in Lincolnshire has an excellent record in consistently reducing waiting times across the majority of specialties. It is acknowledged that there are short term pressures around some waiting lists at present. A number of innovative schemes have been introduced to address this. The situation is kept under regular review and the health community is confident that it will be able to maintain its agreed action plan.

Waiting Lists

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled in Oxfordshire in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: Statistics on the number of operations cancelled for non-medical reasons in each health authority are collected on a quarterly basis. Copies are available in the Library. The latest figures are for quarter one (AprilJune) of the 200102 financial year.

Mental Health Services

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people in contact with specialist mental health services are able to access crisis resolution services at any time.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 31 October 2001
	The latest information held centrally indicates that there were 35 crisis resolution teams in place as at October 2000. The NHS plan has a set target of having 335 crisis resolution teams established by 2004. Progress towards meeting this target is being monitored through the comprehensive review process. By 2004 all people in contact with specialist mental health services will be able to access crisis resolution services.

Secure Hospitals

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have moved from high secure hospitals to more appropriate accommodation in the current financial year.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 31 October 2001
	Between 1 April 2001 and 30 September 2001 (the last date for which accurate information is available) 65 people moved from high secure hospitals to more appropriate accommodation.

Additional Health Services

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) early intervention teams, (b) crisis resolution teams and (c) assertive outreach teams (i) have been and (ii) will be established in the current financial year.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 31 October 2001
	The information available in response to the number of assertive outreach teams at (i) have been and (ii) will be established in the current financial year, is set out in the table.
	
		Number of assertive outreach teams (AOTs)
		
			  (34)June 2001 (35)200102 
		
		
			 England 173 207 
			 Northern and Yorkshire 30 31 
			 Trent 19 20 
			 West Midlands 20 22 
			 North West 18 28 
			 Eastern 20 21 
			 London 24 31 
			 South East 26 37 
			 South West 16 17 
		
	
	(34) Estimate as at the end of quarter one of the 200102 financial year.
	(35) Forecast for the end of the 200102 financial year taken at the end of quarter one.
	Source:
	Quarterly Monitoring 200102
	The precise numbers of early intervention teams and crisis resolution teams that (i) have been and (ii) will be established in the current financial year are being collected. A census earlier this year showed there were 35 crisis resolution teams and 12 early intervention teams in England.

Insulin Pumps

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the supply of insulin pumps to people with uncontrolled diabetes.

Hazel Blears: We announced on 31 July that we were referring insulin pump therapy to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence for appraisal. The institute appraises the clinical and cost effectiveness of treatments and issues authoritative, evidence-based guidance to the national health service, to help to deliver equity of access to effective treatments wherever patients may live.

National Institute for Clinical Excellence

Matthew Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the work of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence.

Hazel Blears: We welcome the progress which the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has already made. Authoritative, evidence-based guidance has been issued on a wide range of subjects, particularly drug treatments. NICE has also established six collaborating centres for the development of clinical guidelines, and has already published four guidelines.

Local Authority Performance Indicators

David Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the methodology was used in determining the local authority social services departments' performance rating announced on 19 October; which social services performance assessment framework indications were used to make the judgments and how they were prioritised; when local authorities were informed of the judgments; what measurements of quality of provision were undertaken in addition to measurements of activity; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 6 November 2001
	The methodology used to calculate the top and bottom Social Services Departments was as follows:
	A council was classified as one of the best performing if it was in the top one third of councils based on the proportion of indicators banded three or higher this year and had on average three quarters or more of its indicators banded as three or higher over the past three years.
	A council was classified as one of the least well performing if it was in the bottom third of councils based on the proportion of indicators banded three or higher this year and had on average 55 per cent. or less of its indicators banded as three or higher over the past three years.
	Banding of the performance indicators was introduced last year to help clarify what level of performance is generally good in relation to a performance indicator. Bands range from investigate urgently to very good. Band three represents a council performing at a level which is acceptable but with possible room for improvement.
	This calculation excluded the three authority based interface indicators (A5, A6 and D41) in each year; excluded indicators that were not applicable for a council in that particular year; only included indicators for which data are available for that particular year, for example data for indicators C33 and E45 are not available for 200001 and therefore were excluded from the calculation of the percentage for that year; and included indicators for which data were missing (and therefore awarded the lowest band).
	A list of the indicators which were included in the calculation of the proportion for each year is as listed. There were 32 such indicators in 199899, 34 in 19992000 and 43 in 200001. None of these were prioritisedeach had the same weight as all the other indicators.
	List of the indicators included in the calculation of the proportion of indicators banded as acceptable or better in each of the last three years
	199899
	A1, A3, B7, B8, B9, B10, B11, B12, B13, B14, B15, B16, B17, C20, C21, C22, C23, C25, C26, C27, C28, C29, C30, C31, C32, C33, C34, D35, D37, D38, D39, E44.
	Total number of indicators: 32
	19992000
	A1, A2, A3, B7, B8, B9, B10, B11, B12, B13, B14, B15, B16, B17, C20, C21, C22, C23, C25, C26, C27, C28, C29, C30, C31, C32, C33, C34, D35, D37, D38, D39, E44, E45.
	Total number of indicators: 34
	200001
	A1, A2, A3, B7, B8, B9, B10, B11, B12, B13, B14, B15, B16, B17, C18, C19, C20, C21, C22, C23, C24, C25, C26, C27, C28, C29, C30, C31, C32, C34, D35, D36, D37, D38, D39, D40, D42, E44, E46, E47, E48, E49, E50.
	Total number of indicators: 43.
	Local authorities were informed of these judgments when the data were analysed just before my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's announcement on 19 October. The judgments were based solely upon social services performance indicators, not upon qualitative data. From next summer we will introduce star ratings based upon all information about council's performance including indicator data, inspections and in-year assessments of performance. The indicator data give important information on performance showing where action may need to be taken either to spread good performance in service delivery or to turn around poor performance.

Hospital Trusts (North West)

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for each acute hospital trust in the north west region, what is (a) the size of population it serves, (b) the number of CT and MRI scanners available, (c) the number of each type of scanner per thousand head of population served by each trust and (d) the age of each scanner.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 6 November 2001
	The table details the CT and MRI Scanners in acute hospital trusts within the north west region and the age of each. Information is not available on the population served by each trust.
	However, the 45 CT and 24 MRI scanners in the north west region serve a population of approximately 6.6 million people. This equates to figures of approximately 6.8 CT and 3.6 MRI scanners per million head of population. English national average figures are approximately six CT and four MRI scanners per million head of population.
	
		CT MRI: North West regionOctober 2001
		
			  Trust  Hospital CT installed MRI installed 
		
		
			 Aintree Hospitals NHST University Hospital, Aintree (36)2001 No MRI 
			 Aintree Hospitals NHST University Hospital, Aintree 2001 No MRI 
			 Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Healthcare NHST Blackburn Royal Infirmary 1998 1998 
			 Blackpool Victoria Hospital NHST Victoria Hospital, Blackpool 1997 1998 
			 Bolton Hospitals NHST Royal Bolton Hospital 1996 No MRI 
			 Burnley Health Care NHST Burnley General Hospital (37)1992 No MRI 
			 Bury Health Care NHS Trust Bury General Hospital (36)2001 No MRI 
			 Cardiothoracic CentreLiverpool NHST BroadgreenCTC Hospital 2000 No MRI 
			 Central Manchester Healthcare Trust Manchester Royal Infirmary (neuro) (37)1995 1995 and 1997 
			 Central Manchester Healthcare Trust Manchester Royal Infirmary (main) (37)1994 1995 and 1997 
			 Chorley and South Ribble NHST Chorley and South Ribble DGH 1995 No MRI 
			 Christie Hospital NHST Christie Hospital and Holt Radium Institute (36)2001 1993 
			 Christie Hospital NHST Christie Hospital and Holt Radium Institute 1999 1993 
			 Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHST Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology (36)2001 (38)2002 
			 Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHST Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology 1997 (38)2002 
			 Countess of Chester Hospital NHST Countess of Chester Hospital 2000 1993 
			 East Cheshire NHST Macclesfield District General Hospital (36)2001 1995 
			 Manchester Children's Hospitals NHST Royal Manchester Children's Hospital 2000 1995 
			 Manchester Children's Hospitals NHST Booth Hall Children's Hospital (36)2001 1995 
			 Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHST Leighton Hospital (37)1992 1999 
			 Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHST Furness General Hospital (37)1993 (38)2001 
			 Morecambe Bay Hospitals NHST Royal Lancaster Infirmary (36)2001 (38)2001 
			 North Cheshire NHST Halton General Hospital (37)1994 1996 
			 North Cheshire NHST Warrington District General Hospital (37)1994 1996 
			 North Manchester Healthcare NHST North Manchester General Hospital (37)1994 1995 
			 Oldham NHST Royal Oldham Hospital (37)1992 1999 
			 Preston Acute Hospitals NHST Royal Preston Hospital (37)1994 (38)2001 
			 Preston Acute Hospitals NHST Royal Preston Hospital 2000 (38)2001 
			 Rochdale Healthcare NHST Rochdale infirmary 1997 No MRI 
			 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHST Royal Liverpool Hospital (A/E) (37)1994 1993 
			 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHST Royal Liverpool Hospital 1999 1993 
			 Royal Liverpool Children's NHST Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital 2000 1994 
			 Salford Royal Hospitals NHST Hope Hospital (36)2001 1993 
			 Salford Royal Hospitals NHST Hope Hospital (37)1992 1993 
			 South Manchester University Hospitals NHST Wythenshawe Hospital (37)1994 (38)2001 
			 South Manchester University Hospitals NHST Withington Hospital (36)2001 (38)2001 
			 Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHST Southport General Infirmary (37)1994 1994 
			 Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHST Ormskirk and District General Hospital (37)1993 1994 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHST Whiston Hospital, Prescott (36)2001 2001 
			 Stockport NHST Stepping Hill Hospital, Stockport (37)1994 No MRI 
			 Tameside Acute Care NHST Tameside General Hospital 2000 No MRI 
			 Trafford Healthcare NHST Trafford General Hospital 1995 No MRI 
			 Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery NHST Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery (37)1993 1991, 1998, 1996 
			 Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Health Services NHST Royal Albert Edward Infirmary 1999 No MRI 
			 Wirral Hospital NHST Arrowe Park Hospital 2000 No MRI 
		
	
	(36) CT Recently installed under central programme
	(37) CT will be replaced under central programme and installed by 2003
	(38) Allocated under New Opportunities Fund (NOF) cancer initiative
	Note:
	National allocations of a further 50 additional CT scanners and 50 additional MRI scanners, as outlined in the NHS Cancer Plan, have not yet been made and are therefore not included in this list

Health Funding

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts receive funding centrally at an (a) regional and (b) sub-regional level to meet the cost of expensive drugs or treatment.

Hazel Blears: The Department makes unified allocations annually to health authorities. Health authorities then allocate resources directly to their primary care groups/ trusts within national guidelines.
	Health authorities in partnership with PCG/Ts and other local stakeholders determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services. PCTs do not therefore receive direct funding from the Department for specific drugs or treatments.

Prescribed Heroin

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the numbers of individuals who have been prescribed heroin in each of the past 12 years.

Hazel Blears: The figures give details of heroin prescribing between 1997 and 1996. As the addicts index from which these figures were taken ceased in 1997 we are not able to provide any statistics for later years.
	
		
			 Year Number 
		
		
			 1977 232 
			 1978 211 
			 1979 189 
			 1980 162 
			 1981 208 
			 1982 214 
			 1983 189 
			 1984 182 
			 1985 213 
			 1986 179 
			 1987 186 
			 1988 194 
		
	
	Source:
	Drug Addicts recorded as receiving notifiable drugs in treatment of their addiction at 31 December by the type of drug of treatment
	Since 1998 the figures have been presented differently and the heading since then has been All drug addicts notified to the Home Office in (1989, 1990 etc) by treatment of notifiable drugs at first notification in (1989, 1990 etc). The figures for the years 1989 to 1996 (the year when statutory notification ceased) are as follows:
	
		
			 Year New addicts Re-notified addicts 
		
		
			 1989 10 59 
			 1990 26 90 
			 1991 17 106 
			 1992 25 92 
			 1993 30 144 
			 1994 22 133 
			 1995 14 128 
			 1996 8 111

Breast Cancer

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients presenting with breast cancer are seen within 14 days when GP written referral request was received within 24 hours for (a) each health authority and (b) in total in England for the last two years for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: The two week waiting time standard was introduced for urgent cases of suspected breast cancer from April 1999. Performance data for the last two years by health authority are shown in the table.
	
		Percentage of patients seen for first out-patient appointment within two weeks when urgently referred by their GP with suspected breast cancer, and the referral being received by the NHS Trust within 24 hours: England and host health authority -- Percentage
		
			  19992000 200001 200102 
			 Health authority Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4 Quarter 1 Quarter 2 Quarter 3 Quarter 4 Quarter 1 
		
		
			 England 91.1 95.0 96.4 96.1 96.0 97.1 95.9 95.9 95.8 
			 Hillingdon 97.4 100.0 85.5 100.0 100.0 97.3 92.2 80.0 93.7 
			 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster 100.0 100.0 100.0 98.8 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			 Enfield and Haringey 76.9 94.4 100.0 100.0 92.6 100.0 100.0 100.0  
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest 85.7 100.0 98.5 98.4 100.0 96.2 98.7 92.4 66.4 
			 Bedfordshire 97.8 98.8 99.1 92.9 94.9 99.3 97.5 97.6 95.4 
			 Berkshire 98.4 94.8 79.0 79.0 93.2 86.8 85.3 94.6 89.5 
			 Buckinghamshire 96.9 96.9 97.7 96.5 96.5 95.3 96.1 98.1 94.7 
			 Bexley and Greenwich 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 98.2 100.0 96.4  
			 Bromley 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 94.7 100.0 100.0 100.0  
			 Croydon 100.0 100.0 92.1 58.2 98.4 98.7 98.9 100.0 100.0 
			 East Kent 95.4 100.0 99.0 96.1 97.8 99.0 97.6 96.1 96.2 
			 West Kent 86.3 92.6 95.4 77.2 90.9 93.4 86.6 87.1 79.3 
			 Kingston and Richmond 93.5 96.6 100.0 97.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 97.8 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham 93.2 98.3 100.0 97.4 98.0 98.1 99.6 98.0 97.9 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 95.3 100.0 100.0 98.6 99.2 99.3 99.7 99.7 100.0 
			 East Surrey 100.0 100.0 100.0 99.3 98.7 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			 West Surrey 96.8 97.0 96.2 97.6 99.1 99.2 100.0 97.6 99.4 
			 East Sussex Brighton and Hove 87.7 86.2 90.7 67.7 61.1 94.5 81.1 74.6 62.4 
			 West Sussex 94.7 95.8 98.0 98.0 98.8 96.1 92.5 96.0 94.9 
			 Barking and Havering 100.0 100.0 99.1 100.0 100.0 99.2 99.4 47.6 100.0 
			 Barnet 87.9 96.2 100.0 97.1 98.5 98.9 96.6 82.0  
			 Brent and Harrow 83.4 93.1 91.2 97.3 66.9 76.7 100.0 97.9 100.0 
			 Camden and Islington 86.8 98.5 92.2 97.0 98.6 90.8 96.5 94.8 97.2 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 70.7 100.0 100.0 95.9 95.3 96.9 99.5 96.3 96.0 
			 East London and City 60.0 77.5 92.2 90.9 89.6 90.8 90.1 93.2 100.0 
			 North Essex 82.1 95.7 100.0 100.0 100.0 99.6 99.7 100.0 99.6 
			 South Essex 100.0 99.2 99.5 92.8 99.5 100.0 100.0 99.1 90.8 
			 South Lancashire 44.3 84.0 93.5 92.1 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			 Liverpool 80.4 100.0 99.5 99.5 92.6 100.0 100.0 96.8 98.2 
			 Manchester 40.7 52.0 91.4 97.7 99.5 95.5 96.9 99.5 96.2 
			 Morecambe Bay 70.4 91.9 94.2 78.3 74.8 79.6 94.2 95.6 88.2 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley 100.0 57.6 90.0 89.8 97.5 100.0 98.8 100.0 85.4 
			 Salford and Trafford 44.2 82.9 94.8 93.3 66.7 90.8 95.5 92.9 93.4 
			 Sefton 76.2 88.2 95.0 100.0 96.3 100.0 98.7 99.6 99.6 
			 Stockport 91.4 99.2 100.0 99.1 99.3 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			 West Pennine 53.8 68.8 97.7 98.0 88.0 98.7 96.3 97.0 98.6 
			 Northamptonshire 82.2 96.8 99.5 97.9 100.0 99.4 98.1 98.6 100.0 
			 Oxfordshire 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			 Suffolk 94.8 98.9 97.3 99.1 98.5 98.9 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			 Barnsley 91.1 100.0 100.0 71.1 71.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 96.1 
			 North Derbyshire 92.2 100.0 100.0 81.4 91.5 96.2 100.0 95.7 98.0 
			 Southern Derbyshire 98.8 100.0 96.0 97.8 98.7 100.0 99.4 99.5 99.4 
			 Doncaster 98.8 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 99.8 
			 Leicestershire 99.3 99.4 99.4 98.6 89.0 82.4 97.4 100.0 99.4 
			 Lincolnshire 89.3 100.0 100.0 99.5 100.0 99.1 99.7 100.0 99.3 
			 North Nottinghamshire 85.5 92.6 98.5 97.3 85.7 100.0 97.6 100.0 98.4 
			 Nottingham 98.1 97.2 92.1 99.0 90.5 97.7 93.3 92.0 92.5 
			 Rotherham 96.3 97.8 100.0 97.7 100.0 66.1 96.3 100.0 100.0 
			 Sheffield 96.6 98.2 97.7 100.0 100.0 99.3 97.9 92.5 100.0 
			 Bury and Rochdale 60.2 85.0 89.1 96.0 94.2 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			 North Cheshire 94.9 90.2 89.4 97.6 94.7 94.7 95.6 100.0 95.2 
			 South Cheshire 95.5 98.6 99.4 96.7 95.0 98.5 98.1 95.8 96.9 
			 East Lancashire 85.3 86.8 85.3 91.1 93.1 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			 North West Lancashire 56.5 76.7 73.7 75.8 75.5 84.5 91.4 99.1 100.0 
			 North and Mid Hampshire 100.0 95.8 99.4 99.4 92.1 94.4 97.5 98.3 95.3 
			 Portsmouth and SE Hampshire 99.0 90.0 100.0 99.7 97.8 98.5 91.1 82.9  
			 Southampton and SW Hampshire 97.1 100.0 95.6 90.6 99.4 96.0 98.1 97.9 99.0 
			 Isle of Wight 100.0 86.5 89.1 87.7 95.9 100.0 96.4 100.0  
			 Somerset 94.9 97.8 99.7 96.5 100.0 98.1 92.6 94.3 99.6 
			 South and West Devon 100.0 100.0 98.9 100.0 92.7 99.3 100.0 100.0 98.6 
			 Wiltshire 100.0 99.7 99.7 99.7 99.2 99.8 100.0 97.8 98.6 
			 Avon 100.0 98.0 99.5 98.4 97.0 94.7 94.6 95.3 98.2 
			 Birmingham 96.1 99.8 99.1 98.9 99.0 98.7 91.9 94.9 94.7 
			 Wigan and Bolton 63.7 70.3 86.1 92.8 95.0 99.4 100.0 92.9 95.8 
			 Wirral 42.0 64.0 67.3 93.7 87.5 83.5 84.8 99.4 100.0 
			 Bradford 93.5 92.2 97.7 91.0 99.1 98.0 86.5 88.1 96.8 
			 County Durham and Darlington 97.8 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 99.5 100.0 100.0 93.6 
			 East Riding and Hull 37.3 72.4 100.0 99.0 100.0 99.5 94.6 100.0 100.0 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 98.3 96.8 98.4 98.6 95.7 
			 Leeds 92.0 96.1 96.3 95.9 94.5 93.9 92.6 100.0 93.3 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside 69.0 95.1 99.4 100.0 99.5 96.9 66.7 100.0 100.0 
			 North Cumbria 96.6 97.1 97.5 84.9 83.8 99.1 71.1 92.9 99.3 
			 South Humber 74.3 88.2 98.1 99.1 99.5 97.9 100.0 100.0 99.2 
			 Northumberland 96.0 98.0 92.3 95.2 96.5 94.2 56.4 88.9 57.7 
			 Sunderland 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 99.2 100.0 100.0 
			 Tees 100.0 100.0 100.0 99.4 99.4 100.0 99.2 98.0 96.5 
			 Wakefield 99.1 99.1 91.3 96.4 77.9 83.0 100.0 100.0 69.9 
			 North Yorkshire 71.3 79.0 79.7 69.2 87.4 95.8 91.8 95.1 99.2 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees 99.5 100.0 99.3 100.0 100.0 98.1 92.6 99.4 100.0 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 97.9 100.0 100.0 100.0 99.5 99.5 100.0 91.1 97.7 
			 Dorset 99.7 99.8 100.0 99.2 99.8 100.0 99.4 100.0 100.0 
			 North and East Devon 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 96.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			 Gloucestershire 100.0 100.0 100.0 97.5 100.0 98.2 100.0 100.0 99.3 
			 Coventry 92.4 99.1 99.6 98.3 98.9 98.6 99.3 99.6 98.9 
			 Dudley 98.6 95.8 68.9 100.0 99.4 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			 Herefordshire 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 87.7 99.0 100.0 96.9 94.8 
			 Sandwell 100.0 100.0 58.3 89.3 98.6 88.1 100.0 100.0 100.0 
			 Shropshire 100.0 100.0 100.0 98.4 100.0 99.5 97.6 99.3 97.8 
			 North Staffordshire 99.4 94.3 97.7 100.0 100.0 90.2 97.6 99.5 94.7 
			 South Staffordshire 100.0 99.3 99.1 98.4 97.8 96.0 75.3 73.2 77.6 
			 Walsall 99.1 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 99.8 
			 Warwickshire 99.1 98.0 99.5 93.8 96.1 94.4 99.3 100.0 100.0 
			 Wolverhampton 95.2 88.8 100.0 99.3 100.0 99.4 99.4 100.0 96.2 
			 Worcestershire 100.0 94.8 100.0 95.2 95.9 96.4 96.3 90.4 89.3 
			 East and North Hertfordshire 77.2 91.6 95.1 94.8 78.8 94.4 96.7 94.0  
			 West Hertfordshire 73.9 77.5 100.0 97.1 97.8 99.1 99.5 89.5  
			 Cambridgeshire 93.8 99.3 99.7 100.0 99.7 100.0 100.0 99.8 99.8 
			 Norfolk 99.7 91.8 98.2 99.7 98.0 96.5 95.6 100.0 99.6 
			 Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire (39) (39) (39) (39) (39) (39) (39) (39) 86.3 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey (39) (39) (39) (39) (39) (39) (39) (39) 99.1 
			 Hertfordshire (39) (39) (39) (39) (39) (39) (39) (39) 97.0 
			 Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich (39) (39) (39) (39) (39) (39) (39) (39) 99.1 
		
	
	(39) Not applicable due to health authority mergers in 200102
	Source:
	Department of Health form QMCW

Scottish Devolution

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is regarding consultations prior to the publication of proposals involving the transfer of powers to the Scottish Executive by (a) primary legislation and (b) Order in Council.

Hazel Blears: Transfer of powers to the Scottish Executive takes place only after agreement between the Administrations. There are two routes: when power is conferred by primary legislation the Sewell Convention requires the prior approval of the Scottish Parliament through the Scottish Executive. When conferred by secondary legislation, the Order follows procedures set out in the Scotland Act 1998; approval by both Houses of Parliament and the Scottish Parliament is required.

Smoking

Gerry Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to ban smoking in (a) the workplace and (b) all public places.

Jacqui Smith: We have no plans for legislation in these areas.
	Following a consultation process the Health and Safety Commission has recommended the introduction of an Approved Code of Practice on smoking in the workplace. We are giving careful consideration to this proposal.
	Control of smoking in public places is the responsibility of the management of such premises. The Public Places Charter, agreed with the hospitality industry, provides customers with clear information on the type of smoking policy operating in a particular establishment, and allows them to make an informed choice.

Carers and Disabled Children Act

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has to monitor the duties of local authorities in implementing the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000;
	(2)  what research he has commissioned into the implementation of the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000;
	(3)  if he will make a statement about the duties of local authorities in implementing the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000.

Jacqui Smith: The provisions in the Act relating to assessment, carer services, and direct payments for disabled 16 and 17-year-olds, carers and people with parental responsibility for disabled children came into force in England in April. The provisions relating to vouchers are planned to come into force in April 2002. The social services inspectorate monitors the performance of local authority social services departments. The Department also has regular contact with voluntary organisations who are able to share their local knowledge about the delivery of services to carers. We will be considering the nature of the research which we should commission when the voucher system comes into force. The implementation of the Act in Wales is a matter for the National Assembly of Wales.

Child Psychiatric Posts

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies there are in consultant child psychiatric posts (a) nationally and (b) in north-west Lancashire.

Jacqui Smith: Information about consultant vacancies is collected through the national health service vacancy survey, which has been conducted in March each year since 1999. Vacancy rates are not, however, collected separately for all disciplines within the mental health sector and information is not held about vacancies in consultant child psychiatric posts. Vacancy rates in consultant child psychiatry posts are included in the total consultant vacancy rate figure.

Beta Interferon

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will complete his discussions with the pharmaceutical industries on the provision of beta interferon for relapsing-remitting MS sufferers.

Hazel Blears: We have no precise timetable, but are aiming to conclude the discussions as soon as possible in the light of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence's final guidance.

Porton Down (NHS Data)

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what dates since 3 August officials in his Department have held meetings with the Medical Research Council regarding the provision and confidentiality of National Health Service data for an epidemiological study into volunteers who took part in experiments at the chemical and biological defence establishment, Porton Down.

Jacqui Smith: Officials were made aware of this study by the Medical Research Council but there have been no meetings or substantive discussions on the subject.

Blood Donors (South Tyneside)

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people gave blood in South Tyneside in (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001; how many are projected to do so in 2002; and what plans he has to encourage blood-giving.

Jacqui Smith: Information on blood donation is available only by financial year. In south Tyneside, the number of blood donors were:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 19992000 6,258 
			 200001 5,979 
			 April 2001 to end of October 2001 3,449 
			 200102(40) 5,767 
		
	
	(40) Projected figure
	This year the National Blood Service (NBS) are working with south Tyneside council's 'Partners for Life' initiative, south Tyneside hospital's 'Saving Lives Together' campaign and south Tyneside college to recruit new blood donors.
	The NBS have undertaken national and regional television and radio advertising, as well as direct mailing, to target new and existing donors. They have also run more public blood donor sessions and are reviewing the donation process to find ways of reducing waiting times for donors.

Medicines (Safeguards)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the safeguards in place in (a) care homes, (b) NHS hospitals and continuing care, (c) private hospitals and (d) the community in respect of covert administration of medicines by nurses, midwives and health visitors.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 November 2001
	As regulated professionals, registered nurses, midwives and health visitors are expected to work to guidance issued by the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting. Registered nurses, midwives and health visitors may administer medicines in the absence of consent where doing so is in the best interests of the patient, where it has been agreed following discussion within the full care team and with the involvement of the person's family or representative.
	The covert administration of medicines should be exceptional, determined on a case-by-case basis, and never a matter of routine practice. Where it is determined to be appropriate, the decision and the medicines administered must be fully documented.
	We expect national health service hospital and community organisations to have local policies about the administration of medicines as part of its clinical governance responsibilities for standards of clinical care, for which each chief executive is accountable. For people in care homes, The National Minimum Standards for Care Homes, produced by the National Care Standards Commission, apply. The Department finished consultation on draft standards for private acute care in October and is currently considering the responses.
	For the treatment of mental disorder in situations where patients cannot or do not consent to medication, nurses are required to act in accordance with the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Mental Illness

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he gives to medical practitioners on prescribing medicines for those suffering from mental illness, in relation to obtaining patients' consent to treatment.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 23 November 2001
	Chapter 16 of the 'Code of Practice on the Mental Health Act 1983' provides guidance on the provisions in Part IV of the Act relating to consent by patients being treated for mental disorder.
	Except where provisions of Part IV on the Mental Health Act 1983 apply, consent to treatment is governed by the common law. In March 2001, the Department issued the 'Reference Guide to consent for examination or treatment', which provides guidance to practitioners on law and good practice in this field.

Nurses

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many nurses (a) in the mental health field and (b) in total left the NHS in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many nurses worked in mental health in the NHS in each of the last 10 years.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 15 November 2001
	Data collected by the Department do not identify the number of nurses who leave the national health service or the total number of nurses working in mental health. The non-medical work force census does identify the number of community psychiatry and other psychiatry nurses. The data are in the table.
	
		NHS hospital and community health services (HCHS) qualified nursing staff in the community psychiatry and other psychiatry areas of work in England as at 30 September each year -- Numbers(41)
		
			  Community psychiatry Other psychiatry 
		
		
			 1991 3,630 34,640 
			 1992 4,040 34,600 
			 1993 4,190 31,470 
			 1994 4,610 30,390 
			 1995 8,560 29,930 
			 1996 9,330 29,490 
			 1997 9,740 29,370 
			 1998 10,230 27,910 
			 1999 10,550 28,450 
			 2000 11,080 28,450 
		
	
	(41) Headcount.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. Figures exclude learners and agency staff.
	3. A new classification of the non-medical work force was introduced in 1995.
	4. Information based on this classification is not directly comparable with earlier years.
	Source:
	Department of Health non-Medical Workforce Census.

Hearing Aids

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what private sector companies were used to (a) design, (b) provide facilities for and (c) manage the modernising NHS hearing aid services project.

Jacqui Smith: Discussions were held with all hearing aid companies during the design of the modernising national health service hearing aid services project. The following companies supplied goods and or services and training:
	AM Hearing Ltd.
	GN Resound Ltd. Starkey Laboratories UK
	Oticon Ltd.
	PC Werth Ltd.
	Lavis Medical Systems Ltd.
	The project is managed on behalf of the Department by the Royal National Institute for the Deaf.

Hearing Aids

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for the allocation of funding for the purchase of digital hearing aids; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The Institute of Hearing Research is evaluating the modernisation project on behalf of the Department. Subject to favourable evaluation, we will make decisions about how best to spread the modernised services, including the provision of digital hearing aids throughout the national health service. We have earmarked funds to begin roll-out and have said that up to 25 million will be invested by 200304. Funding decisions for 200203 will be made in time to allow sites to make plans for delivering services for that financial year.

NHS Dentistry

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many salaried dentists have been employed in each health authority area in England since the publication of the Government's plan for NHS dentistry.

Hazel Blears: Information on the number of salaried dentists employed in each health authority as at September 2000the month of publication of Modernising NHS DentistryImplementing the NHS Plan is shown in table 1. The same information as at September 2001 is shown in table 2.
	The figures are for number of dentists and take no account of part-time working. Some dentists work in more than one HA and are included each time in the individual HA figures but only once in the England total. Dentists working in more than one dental service are included each time.
	Information on salaried dentists employed in community dental services and hospital dental services is available only for September 2000.
	
		Table 1: Number of salaried dentists in the salaried service of the general dental service, personal dental service, community and hospital dental services at September 2000England
		
			 Health authority Salaried service of GDS PDS salaried dentists Community and hospital salaried dentists(42) 
		
		
			 Avon HA 0 0 11 
			 Barking and Havering HA 13 0 1 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey HA 0 0 3 
			 Barnsley HA 0 0  
			 Bedfordshire HA 4 0 3 
			 Berkshire HA 0 0 4 
			 Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich HA 8 3 4 
			 Birmingham HA 0 0 17 
			 Bradford HA 0 0 3 
			 Brent and Harrow HA 0 0 2 
			 Buckinghamshire HA 1 18 5 
			 Bury and Rochdale HA 0 0 2 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees HA 0 0 3 
			 Cambridge HA 10 0 5 
			 Camden and Islington HA 1 0 12 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly HA 2 25 4 
			 County Durham HA 0 0 1 
			 Coventry HA 0 0 2 
			 Croydon HA 0 0 2 
			 Doncaster HA 0 0 1 
			 Dorset HA 0 0 3 
			 Dudley HA 0 0 1 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow HA 0 0 1 
			 East Kent HA 1 0 3 
			 East Lancashire HA 0 0 3 
			 East London and The City HA 10 0 7 
			 East Riding HA 2 2 3 
			 East Surrey HA 6 0  
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove HA 0 0 4 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside HA 0 0 1 
			 Gloucestershire HA 0 29 5 
			 Herefordshire HA 3 0 1 
			 Hertfordshire HA 0 0 3 
			 Hillingdon HA 0 0  
			 Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire HA 0 7 4 
			 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster HA 7 0 5 
			 Kingston and Richmond HA 0 0 3 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham HA 0 0 18 
			 Leeds HA 0 0 7 
			 Leicestershire HA 0 0 4 
			 Lincolnshire HA 5 0 3 
			 Liverpool HA 0 0 10 
			 Manchester HA 0 0 15 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth HA 3 0 4 
			 Morecambe Bay HA 1 0 2 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside HA 0 0 12 
			 Norfolk HA 4 0 4 
			 North and East Devon HA 2 0 2 
			 North and Mid Hampshire HA 1 0 2 
			 North Cheshire HA 0 0 3 
			 North Cumbria HA 0 0 1 
			 North Derbyshire HA 0 0 1 
			 North Essex HA 0 0 3 
			 North Nottingham HA 0 0  
			 North Staffordshire HA 2 0 1 
			 North West Lancashire HA 1 0 3 
			 North Yorkshire HA 0 0 5 
			 Northamptonshire HA 0 0 2 
			 Northumberland HA 0 0  
			 Nottingham HA 0 0 3 
			 Oxfordshire HA 8 0 4 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest HA 0 0 1 
			 Rotherham HA 1 0 1 
			 Salford and Trafford HA 0 0 2 
			 Sandwell Ha 0 0 1 
			 Sefton HA 0 0 2 
			 Sheffield HA 0 0 9 
			 Shropshire HA 0 7 2 
			 Solihull HA 1 0  
			 Somerset HA 2 0 2 
			 South and West Devon HA 15 0 5 
			 South Cheshire HA 4 0 3 
			 South Derbyshire HA 0 1 4 
			 South Essex HA 0 0 2 
			 South Humber HA 0 0 1 
			 South Lancashire HA 2 3 1 
			 South Staffordshire HA 0 0 2 
			 Southampton and South West Hampshire HA 0 21 4 
			 St. Helena and Knowsley HA 0 6 1 
			 Stockport HA 0 0 1 
			 Suffolk Ha 2 0 3 
			 Sunderland HA 0 0 2 
			 Tees HA 0 0 4 
			 Wakefield HA 0 0 1 
			 Walsall HA 0 0 1 
			 Warwickshire HA 0 0 2 
			 West Kent HA 3 0 5 
			 West Pennine HA 0 0 2 
			 West Surrey HA 3 0 5 
			 West Sussex HA 0 12 3 
			 Wigan and Bolton Ha 4 6 3 
			 Wiltshire HA 4 6 3 
			 Wirral HA 0 8 1 
			 Wolverhampton HA 0 5 1 
			 Worcestershire HA 0 17 1 
			 Special Hospitals 0 0 3 
			  
			 England 132 175 353 
		
	
	(42) England total for CDS and HDS salaried dentists counts dentists only once, in their main HA.
	
		Table 2: Number of salaried dentists in the salaried service of the general dental service, personal dental service, community and hospital dental services at September 2001England
		
			 Health authority Salaried service of GDS PDS salaried dentists Community and hospital salaried dentists(43) 
		
		
			 Avon HA 0 10 n/a 
			 Barking and Havering HA 13 0 n/a 
			 Barnet, Enfield and Haringey HA 0 2 n/a 
			 Barnsley HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Bedfordshire HA 6 29 n/a 
			 Berkshire HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich HA 6 8 n/a 
			 Birmingham HA 0 39 n/a 
			 Bradford HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Brent and Harrow HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Buckinghamshire HA 1 27 n/a 
			 Bury and Rochdale HA 0 5 n/a 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Cambridge HA 7 0 n/a 
			 Camden and Islington HA 1 0 n/a 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly HA 2 32 n/a 
			 County Durham HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Coventry HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Croydon HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Doncaster HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Dorset HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Dudley HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow HA 0 0 n/a 
			 East Kent HA 0 0 n/a 
			 East Lancashire HA 0 3 n/a 
			 East London and The City HA 9 0 n/a 
			 East Riding HA 0 8 n/a 
			 East Surrey HA 0 0 n/a 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove HA 0 1 n/a 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Gloucestershire HA 0 23 n/a 
			 Herefordshire HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Hertfordshire HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Hillingdon HA 2 0 n/a 
			 Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and South East Hampshire HA 0 13 n/a 
			 Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster HA 8 0 n/a 
			 Kingston and Richmond HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Leeds HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Leicestershire HA 0 3 n/a 
			 Lincolnshire HA 2 8 n/a 
			 Liverpool HA 0 7 n/a 
			 Manchester HA 0 1 n/a 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth HA 3 0 n/a 
			 Morecambe Bay HA 1 2 n/a 
			 Newcastle and North Tyneside HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Norfolk HA 0 0 n/a 
			 North and East Devon HA 0 5 n/a 
			 North and Mid Hampshire HA 0 0 n/a 
			 North Cheshire HA 0 15 n/a 
			 North Cumbria HA 0 0 n/a 
			 North Derbyshire HA 0 0 n/a 
			 North Essex HA 0 0 n/a 
			 North Nottinghamshire HA 0 0 n/a 
			 North Staffordshire HA 0 19 n/a 
			 North West Lancashire HA 0 1 n/a 
			 North Yorkshire HA 0 7 n/a 
			 Northamptonshire HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Northumberland HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Nottingham HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Oxfordshire HA 0 17 n/a 
			 Redbridge and Waltham Forest HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Rotherham HA 1 0 n/a 
			 Salford and Trafford HA 0 2 n/a 
			 Sandwell Ha 0 3 n/a 
			 Sefton HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Sheffield HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Shropshire HA 0 6 n/a 
			 Solihull HA 0 11 n/a 
			 Somerset HA 1 8 n/a 
			 South and West Devon HA 14 12 n/a 
			 South Cheshire HA 0 7 n/a 
			 South Derbyshire HA 0 1 n/a 
			 South Essex HA 0 0 n/a 
			 South Humber HA 0 0 n/a 
			 South Lancashire HA 2 3 n/a 
			 South Staffordshire HA 0 13 n/a 
			 Southampton and South West Hampshire HA 0 20 n/a 
			 St. Helena and Knowsley HA 0 10 n/a 
			 Stockport HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Suffolk Ha 0 3 n/a 
			 Sunderland HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Tees HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Wakefield HA 0 0 n/a 
			 Walsall HA 0 4 n/a 
			 Warwickshire HA 0 6 n/a 
			 West Kent HA 2 0 n/a 
			 West Pennine HA 1 0 n/a 
			 West Surrey HA 0 44 n/a 
			 West Sussex HA 0 17 n/a 
			 Wigan and Bolton Ha 0 0 n/a 
			 Wiltshire HA 4 7 n/a 
			 Wirral HA 0 9 n/a 
			 Wolverhampton HA 0 6 n/a 
			 Worcestershire HA 0 21 n/a 
			  
			 England 86 498 n/a 
		
	
	(43) The number of salaried dentists in the CDS and HDS is not available centrally

NHS Dentistry

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what central Government funding programmes will be available to support NHS dentistry after March 2002.

Hazel Blears: An estimated 1.1 billion will be spent on the general dental service and a further 57 million will be invested on personal dental service pilot schemes in the current financial year. Figures for future years are not yet available.

NHS Dentistry

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support his Department is giving to health authorities and individual practices to provide NHS dental services.

Hazel Blears: We have invested almost 100 million extra over the last two years towards helping health authorities and individual practices provide NHS dental services.
	In addition to this financial support the Government have made it easier for health authorities to influence dentistry provision in their area. Health authorities can now commission local spot contracts with dentists. Health authorities can also bid for Government money to support the establishment of personal dental service pilot schemes, which are an alternative way by which to provide NHS dentistry and allow for the creation of a service more tailored to the needs of local communities.

Information Management

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how data quality for information management purposes is managed within the NHS.

Hazel Blears: Information used for management purposes should be accurate, relevant and timely to inform decision making which is appropriate and based on evidence. National health service managers are responsible for ensuing that the data collected and used by their organisation are of sufficient quality to meet their needs. Ideally, data should be collected once only, and verified as close as possible to the source of the data. Most NHS information systems have in-built validation routines which can check the quality of data as they are entered on to the system.
	Further data quality checks are usually made as data pass between organisations. Data used to support commissioning, for example, are exchanged via the NHS-wide Clearing Service. Within this process, data quality reports are produced and returned to the data originator. In addition, the Department's regional offices provide feedback to NHS hospital trusts on the quality of data held in the NHS-wide clearing service database. The Department also produces data quality reports on the records received as hospital episode statistics, as well as validating other centrally required returns based on aggregated information.

Information Technology

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which body within the Department of Health has responsibility for drawing up information technology strategy.

Hazel Blears: The Department's information services group has responsibility for drawing up the information technology strategy for the Department.
	The information policy unit has overall responsibility for the delivery of the information strategy for the national health service, ensuring that it is kept up to date and is co-ordinated with information and IT issues surrounding policy development.

Professor Denis Protti

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has received the assessment of Professor Denis Protti of the information for Health Strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The report of professor Denis Protti has not been received.

Dental Care Development Fund

David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which health authorities benefited from the dental care development fund in 200001; and how much finance was awarded in each case.

Hazel Blears: Information on the health authorities receiving dental care development fund awards and the amounts awarded are shown in the table.
	
		Health authorities receiving dental care development funding 200001 -- 000
		
			 Health authority Amount granted 
		
		
			 Avon 70 
			 Barnsley 15 
			 Bedfordshire 50 
			 Berkshire 125 
			 Birmingham 35 
			 Bradford 50 
			 Buckinghamshire 110 
			 Bury and Rochdale 40 
			 Calderdale and Kirklees 30 
			 Cambridge 60 
			 Cornwall and the Isle of Scilly 80 
			 Coventry 40 
			 Doncaster 20 
			 Dorset 110 
			 Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow 30 
			 East and North Hertfordshire 50 
			 East Kent 95 
			 East Lancashire 50 
			 East London and the City 30 
			 East Riding and Hull 95 
			 East Surrey 80 
			 East Sussex, Brighton and Hove 35 
			 Enfield and Haringey 25 
			 Gloucestershire 95 
			 Herefordshire 30 
			 Isle of Wight 65 
			 Kingston and Richmond 40 
			 Leeds 60 
			 Leicestershire 70 
			 Lincolnshire 95 
			 Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth 30 
			 Morecambe Bay 40 
			 Norfolk 60 
			 North and East Devon 50 
			 North and Mid Hampshire 50 
			 North Cheshire 20 
			 North Cumbria 65 
			 North Derbyshire 25 
			 North Essex 35 
			 North Nottinghamshire 40 
			 North Staffordshire 80 
			 North West Lancashire 50 
			 North Yorkshire 125 
			 Northamptonshire 60 
			 Nottingham 30 
			 Oxfordshire 95 
			 Portsmouth and SE Hampshire 95 
			 Rotherham 15 
			 Sefton 20 
			 Sheffield 25 
			 Shropshire 80 
			 Solihull 30 
			 Somerset 80 
			 South and West Devon 95 
			 South Cheshire 60 
			 South Essex 20 
			 South Humber 20 
			 South Lancashire 30 
			 South Staffordshire 50 
			 Southampton and SW Hampshire 50 
			 Southern Derbyshire 60 
			 St. Helens and Knowsley 20 
			 Stockport 20 
			 Suffolk 110 
			 Wakefield 20 
			 Walsall 15 
			 Warwickshire 50 
			 West Hertfordshire 25 
			 West Surrey 110 
			 West Sussex 60 
			 Wiltshire 95 
			 Worcestershire 50 
			  
			 England 3,940

Care Homes for Young People

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about the planned national standards for care homes for young people.

Jacqui Smith: Draft national minimum standards for younger adults' care homes were published for consultation between 29 June 2001 and 21 September 2001. 500 responses were received, expressing a range of views. We are now considering those responses and will publish the final version of the standards shortly.

Registered Nursing Beds

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many registered nursing beds in (a) general and mental nursing homes, (b) private hospitals and (c) clinics there were in the North Yorkshire Health Authority area in (i) 1999 and (ii) 2000; and how many there are now.

Jacqui Smith: The information available is given in the table. Details relating to 31 March 2001 will be published at the end of November 2001, in the Statistical Bulletin Community Care Statistics 2001: Residential personal social services for adults, England.
	
		Number of registered nursing beds in nursing homes and private hospitals and clinics in 1999 and 2000 for North Yorkshire health authority(44) -- Number
		
			  1999 2000 
		
		
			 Registered beds in nursing homes(45) 3,974 4,198 
			 Registered nursing beds in private hospitals and clinics 480 122 
		
	
	(44) As at 31 March
	(45) Registered nursing beds in general and mental nursing homes
	Source:
	Department of Health annual returns

Registered Nursing Beds

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residential and nursing home beds are available in Kent; and how many were available in 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The table shows the number of residential care beds in the shire county of Kent and the number of registered nursing beds in East Kent and West Kent health authorities in 1997 and 2000. Details relating to 31 March 2001 will be published at the end of November 2001, in the Statistical Bulletin, Community Care Statistics 2001: Residential personal social services for adults, England.
	
		Registered residential and nursing care beds in Kent area in 1997 and 2000(46) -- Number
		
			  (47)1997 2000 
		
		
			 Residential beds(48) 16,009 13,518 
			 Nursing beds(49) 4,712 5,051 
		
	
	(46) As at 31 March
	(47) Figures for registered nursing beds relates to registered beds during the period 1 October 1996 to 31 March 1997
	(48) Beds registered within Kent local authority, exclude children's beds
	(49) Beds registered within East Kent and West Kent health authorities, all client groups
	Source:
	Department of Health's annual returns

Community Care Plans (Replacement)

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to launch the consultation on replacing community care plans; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The consultation process seeking views to remove section 46 of the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990, which requires councils to produce a community care plan, was completed on 5 November 2001. By that date, 115 responses were received.

Prisons

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS trusts provide psychiatrists and other staff to prisons.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 22 November 2001
	Psychiatrists and other mental health staff work in prisons under a range of different organisational arrangements, full details of which are not held centrally.

Prisons

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practices provide primary care services to prisons; and if he will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 22 November 2001
	Information on the number of general practices providing primary care in prisons is not held centrally. However, a survey this year of doctors who work in prisons showed that from the 225 who identified themselves as general practitioners, 180 were part time with 120 contracted to work for less than 10 hours a week.
	There is no single model governing the recruitment of doctors to prison health care. Historically the system is one of mixed provision in which primary care is provided by doctors directly employed by the Prison Service, general practitioners under contract and locums, or by a combination of these arrangements. This flexibility allows for the most effective use of local labour markets.

Prisoners (Mental Health)

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prisoners have been transferred to NHS mental health facilities on temporary licence since 13 July 2000; and what funding arrangements have been made in respect thereof.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 22 November 2001
	The Prison Service does not collect information about the number of prisoners transferred to national health service mental health facilities on temporary licence but it would expect there to be few, if any, such cases. The objective is to ensure that prisoners who are so severely mentally disordered that they required in-patient treatment in hospital are diagnosed, assessed and transferred as quickly as possible. Some 750 prisoners a year are transferred from prison to hospital by direction of my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary under sections 47 and 48 of the Mental Health Act 1983. The costs of their treatment in hospital are borne by the national health service.

Atypical Anti-psychotic Drugs

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of patients not receiving atypical anti-psychotic drugs who could benefit from them.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 22 November 2001
	This estimate has not been made. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has been asked to appraise the clinical and cost effectiveness of atypical antipsychotics in schizophrenia. This guidance is due to be published in March 2002.

Mind Out for Mental Health Campaign

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he intends to continue to provide funding for the Mind Out for Mental Health campaign in 200203.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 22 November 2001
	Decisions have not yet been made on communications expenditure for 200203.

Mind Out for Mental Health Campaign

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the availability of leaflets for employers under the Mind Out for Mental Health campaign.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 22 November 2001
	One thousand Working Minds tool kits were produced for use by human resource managers as part of the Mind Out for Mental Health campaign. The tool kits have been extremely popular and have now been distributed to employers and groups working with employers. There are currently no stock of the tool kit available. However, the information contained in the tool kit is available on the campaign website www.mindout.net, and can be downloaded free of charge by users.

Working Minds Programme

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes in employers' policy and practice the Working Minds programme seeks to achieve; and if he will make a statement on how he intends to monitor progress and measure success.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 22 November 2001
	The Working Minds programme is working in partnership with employers to: increase awareness and improve understanding of mental health issues among employers and employees; eliminate discrimination on the grounds of mental health within the workplace and during employee recruitment; improve workplace policies on mental health and promote best practice in the management of mental health at work; and promote improved management and fair treatment of staff experiencing mental health problems in the workplace.
	The campaign does not dictate changes in policy and practice, but provides the information to encourage employers to take action, along with signposts to further resources provided by specialist organisations. Every employer is different, so each will want to develop specific policies and practices that are appropriate for their own size, structure, objectives and culture, within a time scale that is appropriate for them.
	Changing individual behaviour and organisational culture will take a sustained effort on behalf of employers and a considerable amount of time. We would therefore not expect to see immediate improvements in workplace policy and practice on mental health. However, we are able to monitor the immediate impact of the campaign. At the start of the Working Minds programme, we conducted research among human resource managers to evaluate their awareness of, and approach to, mental health in the workplace. We will repeat this research at intervals to measure the progress the campaign is making in putting mental health on the workplace agenda. We are also embarking on an evaluation programme which will measure take-up of campaign materials and specifically evaluate how useful employers have found the information, and what action they are taking as a result of the campaign.

Heart Operations

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) longest and (b) shortest waiting times were for heart operations (i) in South Tyneside and (ii) nationally in (A) 1997, (B) 1998, (C) 1999, (D) 2000 and (E) 2001.

Jacqui Smith: Information relating to in-patient waiting times for cardiology and cardiothoracic specialities for Gateshead and South Tyneside health authority and England is shown in the tables.
	
		Waiting times data for cardiology speciality
		
			   Number of in-patients Of those waiting, number who have waited:  
			 Month ending waiting in cardiology speciality 02 months 35 months 68 months 911 months 1214 months 1517 months 18+ months 
		
		
			  Data for Gateshead and South Tyneside HA (QDG)  
			 31 March 1997 236 84 92 43 17 0 0 0 
			 31 March 1998 103 54 30 13 6 0 0 0 
			 31 March 1999 85 33 17 19 16 0 0 0 
			 31 March 2000 68 41 19 3 5 0 0 0 
			 31 March 2001 118 67 35 13 3 0 0 0 
			  
			 Data for England  
			 31 March 1997 20,408 10,596 5,430 2,549 1,313 313 177 30 
			 31 March 1998 21,634 11,655 5,191 2,877 1,467 340 104 0 
			 31 March 1999 18,924 10,949 4,541 1,989 1,084 296 65 0 
			 31 March 2000 21,721 12,216 5,346 2,444 1,108 406 201 0 
			 31 March 2001 23,702 13,319 5,939 2,771 1,193 379 101 0 
		
	
	
		Waiting times data for cardiothoracic specialitypa
		
			  Number of in-patients Of those waiting, number who have waited:  
			 Month ending waiting in cardiothoracic speciality 02 months 35 months 68 months 911 months 1214 months 1517 months 18+ months 
		
		
			  Data for Gateshead and South Tyneside HA (QDG)  
			 31 March 1997 113 33 43 24 13 0 0 0 
			 31 March 1998 106 51 27 19 9 0 0 0 
			 31 March 1999 120 39 33 25 23 0 0 0 
			 31 March 2000 125 55 32 26 12 0 0 0 
			 31 March 2001 120 45 37 23 15 0 0 0 
			  
			  Data for England  
			 31 March 1997 12,759 5,138 3,497 2,385 1,303 327 102 7 
			 31 March 1998 14,412 5,524 4,001 2,660 1,677 420 130 0 
			 31 March 1999 14,470 5,394 3,755 2,672 1,735 736 178 0 
			 31 March 2000 15,724 5,633 3,770 2,813 2,029 1,115 364 0 
			 31 March 2001 14,555 5,717 3,593 2,579 1,698 758 210 0 
		
	
	Source:
	QF01 quarterly return

Social Services (Winter Pressures)

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by local authority the money allocated to social services to alleviate winter pressures for (a) winter 200001 and (b) winter 200102.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 23 November 2001
	In order to manage winter pressures it is crucial that the national health service and social services work closely together. In winter 200001, we allocated an additional 116 million for winter pressures via the NHS for use in joint planning to address local issues in both health and social care. This was followed up with an additional 100 million for social services in 200102 to enable them to continue to meet commitments from last winter. On 9 October we announced a further 100 million for social services in 200102 to tackle capacity issues and reduce delays in discharge from hospital.

Ambulance Service

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to waive the requirement for applicants for posts in the Ambulance Service to hold a category D1 driver's licence.

David Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
	All drivers, including ambulance drivers, are required to hold the appropriate driving entitlement relative to the types of vehicle they drive. Category D1 entitlement is required for vehicles with more than eight but no more than 16 seats. The Government have no plans to change the driver licensing rules in this area.